Dozens of people killed in the collapse of a gold mine in Sudan

At least 31 miners were killed and eight were missing in Sudan when the rudimentary gold mine collapsed.

The disaster struck on Tuesday near Nuhud, a town about 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of Khartoum, said Caled Dawa, head of a state-owned mineral resources company in West Cordfan.

“31 traditional miners were killed because of the collapse of the mine,” he told AFP, adding that one survived and the other eight were still missing.

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Another source at the company said four miners were killed in the same mine in January.

“The authorities at the time closed the mine and put in place security, but they left a few months ago,” he said.

Dangerous profession

Gold mining by artisans is a dangerous profession in Sudan, mainly due to the unstable infrastructure.

It prospered in various parts of the country about 10 years ago, and people dug the ground using excavators in the hope of excavating precious metals.

According to official figures, about 2 million artisan miners produce about 80% of the country’s annual gold production of about 80 tonnes.

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Sudan, one of the poorest countries in the world, has recently suffered runaway inflation and has embarked on tough economic reforms, including reducing subsidies to gasoline and diesel and launching a managed currency float.

In addition, the coup-led military secretary, General Abdel Fatta Alberhan, on October 25, has helped to recover from the political turmoil.

Source: TRT World and distributors