A local gold mining group head and a regional official acknowledged on Wednesday that around 70 people died in a tunnel collapse at a gold mining site in Mali last week, as reported by Times of India.
More than 200 gold miners were employed in the town of Kangaba in the southwest when the tragedy took place.
An official speaking for gold miners, Oumar Sidibe, provided the somber specifics, saying: “It began with a noise. The ground began to tremble. In the field were more than two hundred gold miners. The hunt is finally concluded. Findings include 73 bodies. A council member from the area confirmed the same toll.
The exact numbers were not revealed, but Mali’s Ministry of Mines confirmed the unfortunate occurrence in a statement on Tuesday.
“Deepest condolences to the grieving families and the Malian people,” the government said.
It also exhorted those who live close to mining sites and gold miners to rigorously abide by safety regulations and to only use approved locations for gold panning.
One of the poorest countries in the world, Mali is a major gold producer in Africa. Deadly landslides frequently occur in the nation’s gold mining locations, underscoring the difficulties authorities have in controlling artisanal mining activities.
Mali produced 72.2 tonnes of gold in 2022; according to information provided by Lamine Seydou Traore, the former minister of mines, in March of the previous year, the metal greatly boosted the country’s GDP, export revenue, and budget.
