At least 60 people died in a collapse of a gold mine in southern Sudan, two survivors announced today, stating that there are still many missing under the rubble.
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16/09/2026
by
Lusa
“ We do not know how many other people are still inside,” said Khair al-Sayyed Jabara, who, along with other miners, participates in rescue operations in the Al-Zaraa mine in the Cordofão region.
According to Jabara, everyone is working to recover the bodies and look for survivors, but “it’s complicated” because it takes “machines to remove the rocks and the earth”.
Another survivor explained that “the wells are all very close to each other and if one of them collapses all the others around them collapse.”.
The survivor said that “to date, 60 bodies have been removed from the rubble,” adding that there are still people trapped under the ground.
Since the beginning of the conflict between the Sudanese army and the paramilitaries of the Rapid Support Forces (RSF) in April 2023, both sides have been largely funded through the mining industry, in addition to the support of foreign countries.
The war devastated the already fragile economy of Sudan, where some 20 million people face serious food insecurity, according to the latest estimates of the United Nations (UN).
Many Sudanese lost their jobs and launched a dangerous gold rush.
Most of the gold extracted in Sudan comes from small craft farms, such as the one that collapsed, where accidents are frequent due to the precariousness of the premises and the lack of safety measures.