Gold mine collapse in Sudan kills 11, injures 30

At least 11 miners were killed and 30 others injured after a gold mine shaft collapsed in northeastern Sudan’s Red Sea state, local officials said.

The collapse occurred in Oni, a remote area of the state on September 19. Rescue teams continued searching for miners believed to be trapped beneath the debris, the state-owned Sudanese Mineral Resources Company said.

The company said 11 bodies had been recovered by September 20, while 30 people were rescued. It expressed condolences over the loss of life but did not provide further details on the casualties.

The incident marks the second major collapse at an informal gold mine in Sudan within a week. On September 13, at least 82 people were killed when a series of mine shafts collapsed at another gold mine in western Sudan, an area controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF).

Deadly mine collapses are relatively common in Sudan, one of Africa’s major gold-producing countries, where safety standards are often poorly enforced and informal mining operations are widespread.

By Vafa Guliyeva