Key facts
- At least 82 people died in a gold mine collapse in Sudan's West Kordofan on Sunday.
- The collapse occurred at the Al-Zaraa mine near El-Nahud.
- Rescue efforts were hampered by a lack of safety procedures and equipment.
- The disaster highlights Sudan's reliance on informal mining amid economic hardship and conflict.
At least 82 small-scale miners were killed in a gold mine collapse on Sunday in a remote area of Sudan's West Kordofan region, according to reports. The collapse occurred at the Al-Zaraa mine near the town of El-Nahud.
Survivors described the shafts being close together, causing the collapse to spread rapidly. "The shafts here are all close together; if one collapses, it brings down all the ones next to it," survivor Al-Amin Suleiman told AFP, adding that he doubted anyone trapped overnight survived. Rescue efforts were hampered by the density of the underground workings, with manual digging proving insufficient to clear the massive debris.
The disaster underscores the growing reliance on informal mining in Sudan, where ongoing conflict between the army and the Rapid Support Forces has devastated the economy. Artisanal operations now account for the majority of the country's gold output, pushing workers into dangerous conditions amid crises of hunger and displacement.