KHARTOUM, April 15 (Xinhua) -- At least seven people were killed and six others injured after a traditional gold mine collapsed in the Ganab and Aulib area of Red Sea State in eastern Sudan, the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company said on Wednesday.
"A traditional mining shaft at the Keliti mine in the Ganab and Aulib area of Red Sea State collapsed yesterday (Tuesday), resulting in the death of seven miners and the injury of six others, according to preliminary figures," the company, a government regulatory body overseeing mining activities, said in a statement.
It confirmed that its field teams were present at the site from the earliest moments of the incident and coordinated with the relevant authorities to transfer the injured to Port Sudan for medical treatment, while civil defense forces continue search-and-rescue operations at the site.
An eyewitness in the area told Xinhua that the mine, located in a mountainous region, collapsed completely, noting that the actual number of miners inside at the time remains unknown.
He added that those whose bodies were recovered or who were rescued were only those near the surface of the mine at the moment of the collapse, suggesting that a large number of miners may still be trapped underground.
Artisanal mining is a key contributor to Sudan's gold production. More than 1.5 million artisanal miners produce around 80 percent of the country's gold output, which reached 70 tonnes in 2025, according to official statistics. Traditional mining sites are spread across more than 800 locations in most of Sudan's northern and western states.
However, the sector has witnessed repeated accidents due to weak safety measures and deteriorating infrastructure.
Sudan seeks to make gold a major source of foreign currency after losing three-quarters of its oil revenues following the secession of South Sudan in 2011.
The mining sector accounts for about 40 percent of Sudan's exports, which have declined due to the ongoing war that began on April 15, 2023. ■
