At least 82 people have been killed and around 50 injured after a gold mine collapsed in Sudan's West Kordofan state, with an unknown number still feared trapped beneath the rubble. The disaster struck on Tuesday at the Al-Zaraa mine near the village of Al-Rugayyiq in the Nahud area, when six deep, closely spaced shafts gave way — reportedly after rainwater destabilised the ground. Rescue teams and fellow miners worked through the night using the same rudimentary tools they use to extract ore, recovering 60 bodies by dawn on Wednesday, with a further 22 found later in the day.

Survivors described a harrowing scene in which the proximity of the shafts turned a single failure into a cascade of collapses. "The wells in the area are right next to each other — if one collapses, the others around it collapse too, and that is what happened," said miner Al-Amin Suleiman, who was present when the disaster struck. "There are still people underground from yesterday. I don't think they are alive." Rescue efforts have been hampered by the fragile, sandy terrain and the absence of specialised teams or heavy machinery needed to clear rock and soil. Reports indicate that among those working at the mine were minors.

The collapse throws a harsh light on the dangers of Sudan's largely unregulated artisanal gold sector. West Kordofan is part of the resource-rich Kordofan region, which stretches across central and southern Sudan and is dotted with informal, unsecured mines dug by local communities. Miners typically work by hand with basic tools and scant safety equipment, and frequently use toxic substances such as cyanide to extract ore — a practice that causes widespread illness in surrounding communities. Such accidents are recurrent and deadly.

Gold has taken on heightened significance since Sudan's civil war erupted in April 2023 between the Sudanese Armed Forces and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), who control the West Kordofan area where the collapse occurred. The sector employed more than two million people before the war and, as the conflict has devastated the broader economy, many more Sudanese — including young men and children — have turned to artisanal mining to survive. Sudan is one of Africa's leading gold producers, recording its highest output in five years — 70 tonnes — in 2025, even as the war continues. The United Kingdom and the European Union imposed sanctions on Sudan's gold trade in July, citing evidence that the multi-billion-dollar industry is financing weapons procurement and armed groups. Nearly all of Sudan's gold, whether exported through official channels or smuggled, is reported to flow to the United Arab Emirates, which denies accusations that it arms the RSF despite findings in multiple international reports.

With close to 20 million people facing acute food insecurity, the UN has warned that a "war economy" built on the exploitation of natural resources — gold chief among them — is prolonging the conflict. The mine collapse is a stark reminder of the human cost borne by those at the very bottom of that economy, working in lethal conditions for meagre daily wages while the war grinds on around them.