The incident occurred in the city of Kangaba, in the southwest of the country, where more than 200 gold miners worked.
More than 70 people were killed in a tunnel collapse at a gold mine in Mali last week, a leader of a local gold mining group and a regional official confirmed Wednesday. Indian Times reported.
The incident occurred in the city of Kangaba, in the southwest of the country, where more than 200 gold miners worked.
Oumar Sidibe, an official representing gold miners, shared the grim details, stating: “It started with a noise. The ground started shaking. There were more than 200 gold miners in the field. The search is over. We have found 73 bodies.” A local councilor confirmed the same number of victims.
While Mali's Ministry of Mines acknowledged the tragic event in a statement on Tuesday, exact figures were not revealed. The government expressed its “deepest condolences to the bereaved families and the Malian people.”
Furthermore, he urged communities near mining sites and gold miners to strictly comply with safety requirements and operate only within designated gold panning areas.
Mali, ranked among the world's poorest countries, is one of Africa's top gold producers. The country's gold mines frequently witness deadly landslides, highlighting the challenges authorities face in regulating artisanal mining practices.
In 2022, Mali produced 72.2 tons of gold, a metal that contributed significantly to the national budget, export income and GDP, as detailed by the former Minister of Mines, Lamine Seydou Traore, in March of the previous year.
