A catastrophic gold mine collapse in Sudan’s West Kordofan state has killed at least 82 people, according to reports detailed by Firstpost. The disaster occurred at the Al-Zara gold mine—also referenced in reports as the Al-Zar’a mine—located near the town of Al-Nuhud, or Nuhud, in southern Sudan, as reported by Shorouk News. Local administrative officials confirmed that the death toll reached 82 people, alongside approximately 50 injuries, while an unknown number of miners remained missing under the rubble.
Tragedy at Al-Zara Gold Mine in West Kordofan
The initial structural failure began in one of the mine shafts and rapidly spread to other interconnected shafts in the complex. According to initial information reported by the BBC, six deep and closely adjacent artisan mine shafts collapsed following heavy rainfall, causing a chain reaction that brought down the surrounding series of wells. Survivors and local miners explained that because the shafts were built so close together, the collapse of one directly triggered the collapse of neighboring shafts.
Rescue Operations Hampered by Rudimentary Equipment
Rescue efforts following the disaster have faced severe logistical hurdles due to a profound lack of specialized heavy machinery and equipment. Survivors and local miners spent an all-night operation attempting to search for bodies and extract survivors using the same rudimentary tools utilized for daily gold extraction. As noted in reports covered by The Sunday Guardian, rescue teams struggled against rough terrain, unstable sandy earth, and depths exceeding 30 meters. A local official told the press that only one privately owned forklift was available to assist with clearing rock and soil.
One of the participating miners, Khair al-Sayyed Jabara, stated that workers did not know the exact number of people still trapped inside. Another miner, Al-Amin Suleiman, expressed deep pessimism regarding those remaining underground since the initial collapse, noting that the unstable and fragile nature of the sandy terrain made excavation perilous. While emergency responders and volunteers recovered numerous bodies, the absence of specialized rescue teams exacerbated the crisis.
Context of Artisanal Mining Amid Ongoing Conflict
The disaster unfolds against the backdrop of the civil war that erupted in Sudan in April 2023 between the Sudanese military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. The region of West Kordofan, where the Al-Zara mine is situated, is under the control of the Rapid Support Forces. Due to widespread economic disruption, displacement, and the threat of famine driven by the conflict, many young Sudanese people have turned to informal and artisanal mining as a primary source of daily income.
The greater Kordofan region contains thousands of small-scale, unregulated, and unsecured mine pits. These sites routinely lack basic safety protocols, protective structural reinforcements, and regulatory oversight. State authorities have faced immense challenges in monitoring and enforcing safety standards across mining regions in Sudan, compounded by damaged state infrastructure and ongoing hostilities throughout the country.
