SUDAN GOLD MINE COLLAPSE KILLS AT LEAST 60 IN WEST KORDOFAN

A gold mine collapse in Sudan's West Kordofan region has killed at least 60 small-scale miners, according to a medical group and survivors, though one report put the toll at 67. The al-Zara mine, near the town of Nuhud, also called El-Nahud, gave way late on Tuesday. The area is controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which has fought Sudan's military for over three years. Survivors said many miners remain missing, with search and rescue operations continuing. The medical group said the death toll could rise further. Reports said the collapse began after two mining shafts dug close together gave way.

Survivor Khair al-Sayyed Jabara described the collapse as "massive" and said an overnight rescue operation had been under way since the mine gave way. Miners were digging with the same rudimentary tools they use for mining, he said, adding: "We need heavy machinery to clear the rock and soil." Another miner, Al-Amin Suliman, said people remained trapped inside the mine, which includes several shafts. Heavy machinery to clear the collapsed soil and rubble was not readily available at the site, survivors said.

Sudan is a major gold producer, and mine collapses of this kind are common because of poor safety standards at small-scale sites, according to reports. A 2023 collapse killed 14 miners, and one in 2021 killed 38, according to previous accounts. Sudan's gold industry has become an important source of revenue since civil war broke out between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces in April 2023. The country is facing what has been described as the world's largest displacement crisis, with nearly 20 million people experiencing crisis-level hunger, according to United Nations figures.

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Note: Report C (a Gaza building collapse) describes an unrelated event and was excluded from this article, which covers only the Sudan mine collapse reported in A and B.