At Least 50 Dead in Sudan Mine Collapse Amid Rescue Challenges

At least 50 people have been confirmed dead after a gold mine collapsed in northeastern Sudan, according to local media reports.

The incident occurred Saturday in the Howaid desert area of Nile River State, where miners were working at an unregulated site notorious for unsafe artisanal mining practices, Alrakoba newspaper reported.

Eyewitnesses said large volumes of sand and rock caved in on the workers, burying dozens under debris. Rescue efforts have been severely hampered by a lack of heavy equipment and trained personnel, slowing the recovery of bodies from the rubble.

“There was no proper machinery to dig them out quickly,” one witness said, adding that locals were using hand tools in desperate attempts to reach the victims.

This is not the first incident at the site—just two months ago, a similar collapse occurred, resulting in multiple injuries.

The latest tragedy has sparked renewed criticism of Sudan’s lax oversight and poor safety infrastructure in its sprawling artisanal mining sector. Thousands of miners operate daily in hazardous conditions without regulation or safety protocols, exposing them to frequent and often fatal accidents.