A weekend tragedy at the Kersh al-Feel gold mine in eastern Sudan has left 11 miners dead and seven others injured, once again spotlighting the country’s persistent mining safety crisis.
The collapse reportedly occurred in the desert town of Houeid, located in Sudan’s Nile River province, according to a statement issued Sunday by the Sudanese Mineral Resources Limited Company, the state-run body overseeing the site.
Injured workers were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment, the company added.
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In response to the incident, officials announced an immediate halt to excavation activities and renewed warnings to informal miners operating illegally in the area.
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Sudan, one of Africa’s top gold producers, has long struggled with lax enforcement of safety standards in the sector. Fatal collapses have become distressingly routine: 14 miners died in a similar incident in 2023, while a disaster in 2021 claimed the lives of 38.
Despite the mineral wealth driving its economy, Sudan’s mining sector continues to endanger lives, stressing a critical need for reform and regulation.
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