• An unknown number of people remain trapped.

At least 60 small-scale miners were killed and many others were missing after a gold mine collapsed in Sudan’s West Kordofan region, survivors told AFP.

The Al-Zaraa mine, near El-Nahud, began collapsing on Tuesday after two shafts that had been dug close together gave way, according to survivors.

It was not immediately clear how many people remained trapped underground.

Khair al-Sayyed Jabara, a miner who survived the collapse, told AFP that an overnight rescue operation was underway, with miners using rudimentary tools to search for survivors and recover bodies.

“Everyone’s working very hard to retrieve the bodies or any survivors, but it’s difficult,” he said, adding that heavy machinery was needed to clear the rock and soil.

Heavy equipment is often unavailable at small-scale mining sites, making rescue operations difficult.

Sudan’s gold industry has become increasingly important since war broke out in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, helping generate revenue as the conflict has devastated the economy.

The war has also triggered a major humanitarian crisis, with millions of people displaced and facing severe food insecurity.