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CatastropheSudan

Gold mine collapse in Sudan kills dozens

December 28, 2021

Sudanese mining officials said they had shut down the mine for safety concerns before it reopened. Rescuers were still digging through the rubble.

https://p.dw.com/p/44w5R
A South Sudanese worker holds a speck of gold in Nanakanak in Greater Kapoeta, Eastern Equatoria state, South Sudan
A speck of gold is found by one of millions of workers who try to earn their keep each year in SudanImage: Hannah McNeish/AFP/Getty Images

At least 38 people were killed and eight reported missing when a rudimentary private gold mine collapsed on top of them in western Sudan, officials said.

The death toll rose after further bodies were found during rescue efforts, said Ismael Tissou, spokesperson for the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company, early Wednesday.

Tissou said the exact number of people buried is not clear. 

The Darsaya mine near al-Nahud, a town about 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of Khartoum, was reopened after the government shut it down amid safety concerns.

What do we know so far?

Local media first reported that shafts in the Darsaya mine had given way, leading to 31 deaths and injuries, with the authorities later raising the toll to 38 death.  Several others were reported injured in the collapse. 

The state-run mining company posted images on Facebook showing hundreds of villagers lined at the site as heavy diggers tried to find more survivors and bodies. People were pictured preparing tombs for the victims in other social media images.

Another mining official said four miners were killed at the same mine in January. "Authorities at the time shut down the mine and installed security but a couple of months ago they left," Dahwa said.

Why is mining unsafe in Sudan?

Gold mining flourished across Sudan about a decade ago amid rising inflation in one of the world's poorest countries.

About two million traditional miners are involved in the search for gold across the country.

They often work in semi-legal mines across Sudan with ramshackle infrastructure in unsafe conditions.

Despite these precarious conditions, they unearth about 80% of the tons of gold Sudan produces each year, according to official figures. 

In 2020, the East African nation produced 36.6 tons, the second most on the continent, official data showed.

In the past two years, Sudan's transitional government has begun regulating the industry amid allegations of gold smuggling.

But the country has been mired in a political crisis since a military coup on October 25.

Mine collapses are common in African countries like nearby Congo.

mvb, jc/fb (AP, Reuters, AFP, dpa)