KHARTOUM, Sept. 21 (Xinhua) — At least 10 artisanal miners were killed and 21 others injured after five mining shafts collapsed in the Oni area of Red Sea State in eastern Sudan, a volunteer group and eyewitnesses said Sunday.
The Dar Hamar Emergency Room, a volunteer group, said in a statement that rescue teams had recovered 10 bodies and 21 injured miners, with search operations continuing for those still trapped.
The Sudanese Mineral Resources Company separately announced the mine collapse in the Oni area in a statement on Sunday, but did not provide an official toll of deaths or injuries.
A miner who was at the site told Xinhua that the collapse occurred on Saturday as miners were working underground, after adjacent shafts caved in successively and buried workers under rock and soil.
The miner, who requested anonymity, said miners at the site quickly tried to rescue those trapped using equipment available, while bulldozers were brought in to clear the rubble.
He said difficult access to some parts of the site made it impossible to determine the final number of missing miners, adding that a number of the injured were transported to Port Sudan, about 300 km from the mine site.
The accident came days after the collapse of the Al-Zaraa mine near Al-Nuhud in West Kordofan State, which killed dozens of miners.
Artisanal mining is a major source of income for many Sudanese, producing about 80 percent of the country’s gold. The sector operates at more than 800 sites across northern and western Sudan, employing over 1.5 million miners.
Gold is one of Sudan’s major sources of foreign currency. According to official statistics, Sudan produced 70 tons of gold in 2025. Accidents are frequent at mining sites, where inadequate safety measures and deteriorating infrastructure increase the risks to miners.
