Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills At Least 67 People With Dozens Still Missing

The collapse occurred at the Al-Zara mine near El-Nahud in the Fouja area, northwest of Al-Nuhud, where connected shafts reportedly collapsed in succession because they were located close together.
A local monitoring group said more than 70 miners were dead or missing and reported that no specialized rescue teams had reached the remote site; loose, sandy soil further complicated efforts to extract victims with basic tools.
Sudan’s gold is frequently mined through hazardous artisanal operations and then smuggled out of the country, while gold mining is also an important source of income for the Rapid Support Forces in areas under their control.
The Sudanese Doctors Network urged local authorities to protect miners and civilians and to halt unregulated mining, warning that operations without safety standards, protective measures or rescue equipment turn mining into a direct threat to civilians.
The latest disaster follows other deadly Sudanese mine collapses, including incidents that killed 14 miners in 2023 and 38 in 2021.
At least 67 people died when the Al-Zara gold mine collapsed in Sudan's West Kordofan province, with dozens more missing and feared trapped underground NY Post. The death toll could climb as rescue efforts continue at the remote site near El-Nahud, where workers lack heavy machinery and specialized equipment to extract victims from the rubble Yahoo Finance.
The collapse at Al-Zara happened when connected mine shafts failed one after another because they were built too close together NY Post. Survivors described a chain-reaction collapse that trapped workers deep underground. The loose, sandy soil made digging out victims extremely difficult with only basic hand tools.
Local monitoring groups reported that no specialized rescue teams reached the site, leaving survivors and volunteers to dig with shovels and bare hands Castanet. The remote location in the Fouja area compounds the problem. Rescue workers need heavy machinery and trained personnel to safely extract people from deep shafts, but Sudan's war has left such resources unavailable.
Sudan's informal gold mining explodes when the economy collapses and conflict spreads Post Register. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which controls this region, profits heavily from gold smuggling. Miners turn to dangerous artisanal operations because few legal jobs exist amid Sudan's civil war, which began in April 2023.
The Sudanese Doctors Network warned that unregulated mining operations turn work into a death trap Castanet. No safety measures, protective equipment, or rescue plans exist at informal mines. This disaster follows earlier collapses that killed 14 miners in 2023 and 38 in 2021, yet regulations remain unenforced in conflict zones.
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