Gold Mine Collapse in Sudan Kills at Least 60 Miners

At least 60 people have been killed following the collapse of a series of interconnected gold mining shafts in Sudan's West Kordofan state. The disaster occurred at the informal al-Zara mine in the Fouja area, northwest of the town of El-Nahud. While survivors and local sources have confirmed a death toll of at least 60, monitoring groups including the Kordofan Observatory have indicated that the number of dead or missing could exceed 70 as rescue efforts remain hampered by the site's remote location and unstable, sandy terrain.

The collapse, which took place in a network of shafts stretching over one kilometer, has left families and local residents struggling to reach those trapped underground. Survivors reported that the collapse was massive, and the lack of specialized machinery has made it nearly impossible to clear rubble at depths exceeding 30 meters. According to the Kordofan Observatory, no professional rescue teams had intervened as of Wednesday, leaving the recovery process to residents using basic tools. Reports from survivors who emerged from the site suggest that some miners may still be alive beneath the debris, adding urgency to the search.

The disaster highlights the persistent dangers within Sudan's artisanal mining sector, which produces the vast majority of the country's gold but operates with minimal safety oversight. Fatal accidents are frequent in these informal sites; previous collapses in 2021 and 2023 resulted in dozens of deaths. The al-Zara mine is located in a region controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, which have been engaged in a protracted conflict with the Sudanese military since April 2023.

Experts commissioned by the United Nations have documented how gold extracted from these regions is frequently smuggled out of the country to finance the ongoing war. In response to the role of gold in sustaining the conflict, the European Union implemented tightened sanctions in July 2026, prohibiting the import of Sudanese gold and restricting the supply of chemicals like mercury and sodium cyanide used in mining operations. As of Wednesday, the exact timeline of the collapse remained subject to conflicting reports, with some sources citing Sunday and others Tuesday, reflecting the difficulties in gathering verified information from the remote, conflict-affected region.