Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills Nearly 40 People

Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills Nearly 40 People

Sudan Gold Mine collapsed Tuesday, December 28, killing over 40 laborers and leaving eight more missing, according to a Sudanese government official.

iexclusive News Nigeria reports that according to Khaled Dahwa, the chairman of the state-run Mineral Resources Company in West Kordofan, the tragedy occurred in Nuhud, a town roughly 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of the capital Khartoum.

“Thirty-one traditional miners were killed because of a mine collapsing,” he told AFP, adding one person survived and eight others were still missing.

Another company official said four miners were killed at the same mine in January 2021.

“Authorities at the time shut down the mine and installed security but a couple of months ago they left,” he said. Due to limited infrastructure, gold mining by craftsmen is a dangerous job in Sudan.

The practice entails excavators burrowing into the ground in the hopes of uncovering gold.

According to official data, about two million artisanal miners contribute around 80% of Sudan’s yearly gold production of around 80 tonnes.