A gold mine crumpled in West Kordofan state in southern Sudan on December 28, 2021. The government confirms the death of 38 people in the gold mine collapse incident, while several have been injured.
According to the country’s state-run mining firm, the collapse of the closed, non-functioning mine occurred in the village of Fuja, 700 Kilometres (435 miles) south of Khartoum.
According to the corporation, the West Kordofan state government and the state committee issued an order to close the mine, mentioning that it is inappropriate for mining.
The mine was not operational, according to the cooperation, but local miners returned to work after security guards left the site.
Nearly 2 million Sudanese workers are working in the traditional mining industry of Sudan, including some states of Red Sea, Nahr al-Neel, South Kordofan, West Kordofan, and Northern region.
Villagers gathered at the scene while and two dredgers struggled to find survivors and bodies, according to photographs uploaded on Facebook by the mining business.
There are some pictures on Facebook which depict that the locals were preparing for tombs for the dead to be buried.
According to official statistics, in Sudan, traditional mining accounts for approximately 75% of its total gold production.
According to the data, 89% of gold production from the world is in Africa and in 2020, Sudan reached 36.6 tons which makes the country the second-largest producer of gold in Africa and the ninth in the world. Gold mines are spread across Sudan, including Darfur, South Kordofan, and the Blue Nile.
In the last two years, the traditional government has begun to regulate the industry in response to reports of gold smuggling.
Collapses are very normal in Sudan gold mines, and still, the safety standards are not widely in effect.
Until the autonomous region of Southern Sudan became an independent country in July, Sudan’s mining industry was primarily driven by the exploitation of fuel minerals, with petroleum making a significant contribution to the country’s economy.
