Prayers Up: 14 miners dead in Sudan, dozens injured while digging for gold
A file picture shows gold mine workers climbing out of a local mine at the Al-Ibedia locality in the River Nile State. (REUTERS)
(Reuters) - Fourteen miners have died and more than 20 have been injured in a mine collapse in Sudan's Northern state, a senior official in state-owned Sudanese Mineral Resources Company told Reuters on Friday.
Part of a mountainside collapsed near al Jabal al Ahmar mine, located 70kms away from Wadi Halfa city, causing the deadly accident on Thursday, Moataz Hajj Nour told Reuters.
Witnesses said miners were digging for gold using heavy machinery which had caused the collapse, according to Sudan News Agency (SUNA) on Thursday.
A security source cited by the state agency said workers were thought to be trapped beneath the mine’s groundwater. According to a report published Thursday by Sudan's state-run news agency SUNA, a search operation was launched to find those trapped beneath the rubble.
It remains unclear if the rescue teams are still searching for survivors. The Sudanese Mineral Resources Company’s spokesman in the area did not respond to The Associated Press’s request for comment.
The dead have been transferred to the nearby town of Wadi Halfa and have since been buried, the state company said.
Sudan is a major gold producer with various mines scattered across the country. Collapses are common as safety standards and maintenance are poor.
In 2021, 31 people were killed after a defunct gold mine collapsed in West Kordofan province.
Sudan is a major gold producer with numerous mines scattered across the country. In 2020, the East African nation produced 36.6 tonnes, the second most in the continent, according to official numbers.
The accident once again puts the spotlight on the dangers of artisanal gold mining, largely due to ramshackle infrastructure and poor government oversight. The activity flourished around a decade ago in various parts of the country, with people digging the ground using excavators in hopes of unearthing the precious metal.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
