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A Search Against Time : 60 Dead After Gold Mine Collapse in West Kordofan
New Delhi : A devastating gold mine collapse in Sudan’s West Kordofan region has claimed the lives of at least 60 small-scale miners, with many more feared trapped or missing beneath the rubble. The collapse occurred at the Al-Zaraa gold mine near El-Nahud, with reports differing over the exact timing of the disaster. By Wednesday, around 60 bodies had reportedly been recovered, while survivors said they did not know how many miners remained underground.
Rescue efforts continued through the night, but workers were reportedly forced to rely on rudimentary tools, with survivors calling for heavy machinery to clear the massive amounts of rock and soil.
Sudan is one of Africa’s major gold-producing countries, but a large share of its gold comes from artisanal and small-scale mining, where safety measures and rescue equipment can be limited. Reuters reported that local sources attributed the high death toll to the lack of basic safety procedures and rescue equipment at the remote mining site.
West Kordofan is also an area controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), with gold mining considered an important source of revenue in the region.
The latest tragedy has once again highlighted the dangerous conditions faced by miners in Sudan, where informal mining remains widespread amid the country’s ongoing conflict and economic crisis. Reports from survivors and local groups suggest that the final death toll could rise as rescue teams continue searching for people trapped beneath the collapsed mine shafts.
