Sudan mine collapse claims 82 lives as Africa’s informal mining safety crisis deepens

Another deadly mine collapse has struck Africa’s informal mining sector, with at least 82 people killed at a gold mine in Sudan.

According to The Associated Press (AP), rescuers recovered 82 bodies on Wednesday, September 16, following the collapse at the al-Zara gold mine near Nuhud, a town in Sudan’s West Kordofan province. Many people have not yet been recovered and are believed to still be trapped under the rubble.

The collapse began on Sunday in one of the mine’s shafts before spreading to interconnected shafts, according to a local administration official who spoke to AP. Rescue efforts have been affected by a lack of appropriate equipment, with only one privately owned forklift reportedly available to assist in the operation.

One survivor, Khairal-Sayed Gabara, told AP that the machinery needed to remove soil and rubble was unavailable, making it difficult to search for workers trapped more than 30 metres underground.

The al-Zara operation is one of many small-scale and informal mines operating across Sudan, where safety standards are not widely applied. AP reported that deadly mine collapses are not uncommon in the country, with previous incidents claiming dozens of lives.

The Sudan tragedy comes amid a series of deadly incidents highlighting the dangers associated with informal and illegal mining across the continent.

In South Africa, 14 illegal miners died following a mine dump incident at Nkaneng in Rustenburg, North West, on August 10. The North West provincial government confirmed the deaths, while the Department of Mineral and Petroleum Resources said the incident occurred within an area where a valid mining permit had been issued. The department said the operation was a surface opencast mining operation rather than an underground mine shaft.

Just after that incident, more than 100 people were reported killed after an artisanal gold mine collapsed at Zamboye in the Central African Republic, close to the border with Cameroon. Just like Sudan, rescue operations were complicated by inadequate equipment, while many workers were initially feared trapped under the rubble.

While the circumstances surrounding each incident differ, the tragedies highlight severe risks faced by workers operating in informal and poorly regulated mining environments. Limited access to protective equipment, inadequate mine planning and insufficient emergency-response capacity can turn a collapse into a mass-casualty event.

The latest incident in Sudan also highlights the importance of having appropriate rescue equipment and safety systems in place before an emergency occurs.