At least 60 people have been killed after a gold mine collapsed in Sudan’s West Kordofan state, while dozens more remain missing and some miners may still be trapped underground, local sources and a monitoring group said.
The collapse occurred on Sunday at the al-Zara mine in the Fouja area, northwest of al-Nuhud, according to three local sources who spoke to Reuters.
The Kordofan Observatory said on Wednesday that more than 70 artisanal miners had been killed or were still missing following the collapse of several adjoining mining shafts.
The monitoring group, citing eyewitnesses, said a survivor emerged from the mine on Tuesday and reported that other miners were still alive underground.
It appealed for urgent intervention, saying no specialised rescue teams had reached the remote site and that unstable sandy ground was complicating efforts by local residents to recover survivors and bodies using basic equipment.
Local sources blamed the high death toll on poor safety standards and a lack of rescue equipment at the mine.
Sudan is one of Africa’s largest gold producers, but much of its output comes from small-scale and artisanal mining operations where workers often face dangerous conditions and limited regulatory oversight.
Gold has also become an increasingly important source of revenue during Sudan’s war. West Kordofan is currently controlled by the Rapid Support Forces.
