Sudan gold mine collapse kills at least 60: survivors say
At least 60 small-scale miners were killed following the collapse of the Al-Zaraa gold mine in southern Sudan. Rescue operations are ongoing, with many more individuals still missing under the rubble.
Why it matters
This incident underscores the extreme dangers and lack of safety regulations inherent in informal, small-scale mining operations in the region.
The collapse of a gold mine in southern Sudan has killed at least 60 small-scale miners, two survivors told AFP on Wednesday (September 16, 2026), while many more are missing and feared dead under the rubble.
Shafts began collapsing in the Al-Zaraa mine near the town of El-Nahud in West Kordofan on Tuesday (September 15, 2026), and by the following morning 60 bodies had been retrieved.
“We don’t know how many more are still inside,” one of the survivors, Khair al-Sayyed Jabara, told AFP after taking part with fellow miners in the all-night rescue operation.
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