Sudan – (Special Correspondent/Web Desk) – A Sudan gold mine collapse has killed at least 60 people, according to two survivors who spoke with AFP on Wednesday. Many more workers are still missing and feared dead under the rubble.
The disaster struck the Al-Zaraa mine in West Kordofan, an area controlled by Sudan’s Rapid Support Forces. The mine shafts began caving in on Tuesday while dozens of small-scale miners were working underground.
By Wednesday morning, rescue teams had pulled 60 bodies from the wreckage. They used the same basic tools miners normally use to dig for gold, since no heavy machinery was available at the site.
One survivor, Khair al-Sayyed Jabara, said the rescue effort had gone on all night. He admitted nobody knows exactly how many people are still trapped inside.
Another miner, Al-Amin Suleiman, explained that the shafts at Al-Zaraa sit close together. When one tunnel gives way, it often drags down the ones beside it. He said he doubts anyone still buried is alive.
Mine collapses like this happen often across Sudan. Thousands of young men work in unregulated pits just to earn a daily wage, since the country’s economy has been shattered by war.
Since fighting broke out between the army and the RSF in April 2023, gold has become a key source of funding for both sides. Experts say most of the gold gets smuggled out through neighboring countries before reaching international markets.
The United Nations has repeatedly warned that Sudan’s gold trade is helping fuel the ongoing conflict rather than helping its people.
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