Death toll rises after collapse of gold mine in Sudan
SHENDI, Sudan — The death toll from the collapse of an informal gold mine in a remote area of Sudan has risen to 82, according to local officials and activists, reports BritPanorama.
Rescuers faced challenges on Wednesday as they searched for the missing with limited equipment. Survivors reported that the collapse occurred at the al-Zara gold mine in Nuhud, West Kordofan province, an area under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who have been engaged in conflict with the Sudanese military for over three years.
Suleiman Abu Hmeida, a member of the Emergency Response Rooms, stated that as of Wednesday afternoon, rescuers had recovered 82 bodies, but insisted that “dozens remain unaccounted for.”
The Emergency Response Rooms is a grassroots network monitoring the ongoing conflict and offering community support across war-torn Sudan. A local administration official corroborated that 82 bodies had been extracted.
This tragedy commenced on Sunday when the collapse began in one mine shaft and subsequently spread to interconnected shafts. Efforts to recover survivors are hampered by the lack of equipment, with only one privately owned forklift available for rescue operations.
Khairal-Sayed Gabara, a survivor, described the situation as “very dire,” emphasizing the absence of machinery necessary to remove the collapsed rubble. He noted, “We do not have the machinery to lift dirt and stones and search for survivors at depths of more than 30 meters (around 100 feet).”
The al-Zara gold mine is one of many informal mining operations in Sudan, a nation currently engulfed in war that has led to significant humanitarian challenges, including famine.
Mine collapses are not uncommon in Sudan, where safety standards are often overlooked. Previous incidents include a 2023 collapse that resulted in 14 fatalities and another in 2021 that claimed 38 lives.
An additional survivor reported that 60 bodies had been recovered. The Sudan Doctors Network, which tracks war-related health issues, noted that 67 bodies had been extricated, warning that the death toll is likely to rise.
The Kordofan Observatory monitoring group indicated that at least 70 miners are believed to be dead or missing at the site, which extends over a kilometer across fragile soil.
Experts have reported that significant amounts of gold are illegally smuggled out of Sudan to finance the RSF, who are known to oversee gold-rich areas in Darfur and Kordofan.
The conflict in Sudan escalated dramatically in April 2023 when fighting erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese military. According to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data project, the violence has resulted in at least 59,000 deaths, although aid organizations caution that this figure likely underrepresents the actual toll, which could be significantly higher.
The full impact of this incident remains a stark reminder of the dangerous conditions faced by informal miners in a country beset by conflict and instability.
