Sept 16 (Reuters) – At least 60 people were killed in a gold mine collapse on Sunday in a remote area north of the town of al-Nuhud in Sudan’s West Kordofan, three local sources told Reuters on Wednesday.
Sudan is one of Africa’s largest gold producers, but the vast majority of its gold is produced through dangerous artisan mining techniques and later smuggled out of the country.
The local sources said the high death toll at the remote site was due to the lack of safety procedures or rescue equipment at the makeshift wells. West Kordofan is under the control of the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, for whom gold mining is a key source of revenue.
(Reporting by Khalid Abdelaziz; Writing by Tala Ramadan; Editing by Louise Heavens and Hugh Lawson)
