Gold Mine Collapse in West Kordofan Kills 60, Leaves Dozens Missing

Approximately 60 workers died in a gold mine collapse in Sudan’s West Kordofan state, according to reports from AFP and Reuters published on Wednesday.

The incident occurred on Tuesday, as survivors told AFP. Rescue efforts continued into Wednesday, with dozens still unaccounted for and feared dead beneath the rubble.

By Wednesday morning, emergency responders had recovered 60 bodies.

Khair Al-Sayyid Jabara, a survivor, told AFP: “We do not know how many people remain inside. People are working hard to extract either bodies or survivors, but conditions are difficult. We need heavy machinery to lift rocks and soil.”

Amine Sulaiman, a miner at the site, told AFP that “the shafts in the area are adjacent; collapsing one shaft causes the neighboring ones to collapse — and that is exactly what happened.”

He added: “So far, 60 bodies have been removed, but there are people underground since yesterday — Tuesday — and I do not believe they are still alive.”

Sudan is experiencing two of the world’s largest humanitarian crises — food insecurity and displacement — with around 20 million people facing acute hunger.