Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills 82, Many Still Missing as Rescuers Lack Equipment  

At least 82 people have died in the collapse of an informal gold mine in Sudan, with many others still unaccounted for as rescuers struggle to search the site with only a single forklift, a local administration official told The Associated Press on Wednesday. 

The collapse at the Al-Zara gold mine in Nuhud, a town in West Kordofan province, began Sunday in one shaft before spreading through interconnected shafts. The paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) control the area and have been fighting the Sudanese military for more than three years. 

Rescue efforts have been hampered by a lack of heavy equipment needed to clear collapsed soil and rubble from shafts extending more than 30 meters (98 feet) underground. 

“The collapse is massive, and the situation is very dire,” survivor Khairal-Sayed Gabara told AP by phone. 

“We do not have the machinery to lift dirt and stones and search for survivors at depths of more than 30 meters (98 feet),” he said. “There were dozens of people working in the mine.” 

The Kordofan Observatory monitoring group said at least 70 miners had been killed or were missing at the site. The mine extends more than 1 kilometer (0.6 miles) across an area of fragile, sandy soil, and the group described those working there as unregulated and informal miners. 

Al-Zara is among thousands of small-scale and informal gold mines operating across Sudan. Despite the country’s position as a leading gold producer, mine collapses occur frequently because safety measures and regulations are not widely enforced. 

A mine collapse in 2023 killed 14 miners, while another in 2021 left 38 people dead. 

Experts commissioned by the United Nations have said large quantities of gold have been smuggled out of the country to finance the RSF. 

The paramilitary force controls gold-producing areas in Sudan’s Darfur and Kordofan regions.