A tragic incident has unfolded in Sudan where a gold mine tunnel collapsed, resulting in the deaths of at least 11 miners. The disaster occurred in the remote Oni area, located in the north-eastern Red Sea state. According to reports from the ground, the collapse began late Saturday night and continued to pose a threat through Sunday, while in addition to the confirmed fatalities, rescue teams managed to save 30 people from the site, although many others are still reported missing under the rubble. This event underscores the dangerous conditions prevalent in Sudan's informal mining sector, which operates with minimal safety oversight.
Details of the Rescue and Recovery Operation
An official from the state-owned Sudanese Mineral Resources Company provided insights into the ongoing rescue efforts. Speaking on the condition of anonymity because they weren't authorized to speak to the media, the official confirmed that 11 bodies have been recovered as of Sunday. The rescue operation was successful in pulling 30 survivors from the debris, many of whom were injured during the collapse. The search for the missing continues as authorities and local workers sift through the collapsed tunnels in hopes of finding more survivors, while abdalhay Kharif Abakar, a worker in the Oni area, stated that the incident began on Saturday night, creating a chaotic and desperate situation for the miners trapped underground.
A Pattern of Mining Disasters
This collapse is the second such tragedy to strike Sudan within a week. Just last Sunday, another gold mine in the western part of the country saw multiple tunnels collapse, leading to the deaths of at least 82 people. That particular area is under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been engaged in a violent conflict with the Sudanese army for over three years. The frequency of these accidents highlights the perilous nature of the thousands of small and informal mines scattered across Sudan, where safety standards are largely ignored.
The Context of War and Economic Desperation
Sudan has been embroiled in a full-scale war since April 2023, when fighting broke out between the RSF and the Sudanese army. This conflict has pushed parts of the country toward famine and created a dire humanitarian crisis. According to the monitoring group Armed Conflict Location and Event Data (ACLED), at least 59,000 people have been killed in the conflict so far. However, aid organizations suggest that this figure is likely a significant undercount and the actual death toll could be much higher. The war has also impacted the mining sector, with gold being a primary source of funding for the warring factions.
Gold Smuggling and Conflict Funding
United Nations-appointed experts have noted that massive amounts of gold have been smuggled out of Sudan to fund the RSF's operations. The RSF currently controls several gold-producing regions in Darfur and Kordofan, while the reliance on gold for funding has led to an increase in informal mining activities where safety is sacrificed for speed and profit. The Sudanese Mineral Resources Company issued a statement expressing condolences to the families of those who lost their lives in the Red Sea state collapse, although the company didn't provide specific details regarding the total number of casualties in its official release. The lack of regulation and the ongoing war continue to make mining one of the most dangerous professions in the country.