Africa · 16 September, 2026 · 2 min read
Sudan Gold Mine Collapse Kills At Least 67 Workers In West Darfur
At least 60–70 workers killed at the Al-Zaraa mine in West Kordofan. Rescue operations continued as many others remained trapped or missing amid the collapse.
Death toll scale differs (60 vs 67+).
9 of 11 outlets skipped it: EU banned mercury/cyanide sales to Sudan for use in mining.
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“At least 60 individuals lost their lives in a gold mine collapse in Sudan's West Kordofan on Sunday.”Read the original ↗
Different tallies suggest counting methods and timing are being handled differently.
Mine collapse in West Kordofan
At least 67 workers were killed after a gold mine collapsed in West Darfur state, Sudan, survivors told Al-Jazeera Net on Wednesday, with rescuers recovering 67 bodies by morning at the Al-Zaree (Az-Zara) mine near the town of Nuhud.
“At least 67 workers were killed after a gold mine collapsed in West Darfur state, Sudan”
Al-Jazeera Net said the collapse happened Tuesday, and survivor Khair Al-Sayed Jabara told AFP: "We do not know how many people are still inside."
Other outlets put the death toll at least 60 in West Kordofan, with Sky News Arabia citing survivors and AFP and saying rescuers had recovered 60 corpses by Wednesday morning at the Zar’a mine near the town of al-Nuhud.
Sky News Arabia also quoted AFP survivor Khair al-Sayyid Jabara saying, "We do not know how many are still inside. People are making an effort to remove the bodies or the living, but the situation is difficult."
Rescue limits and missing
Survivors described the rescue as difficult and dependent on heavy equipment, with Al-Jazeera Net reporting that miners’ colleagues used the same makeshift tools they use in mining and that "we need heavy machinery to remove rocks and soil."
Al-Jazeera Net also included Amin Suleiman’s account that the mines were close together and that "if one collapses, all that follows collapses with it."
Sky News Arabia similarly said others remained missing and feared dead under the rubble, and it reported that the incident occurred Tuesday at the Zar’a mine near the town of al-Nuhud in West Kordofan State.
In the same AFP-cited account, Sky News Arabia quoted Amin Suleiman saying, "So far 60 bodies have been recovered, but there are people underground since yesterday (Tuesday), and I do not think they are alive."
War funding and stakes
Al-Jazeera Net linked Sudan’s gold sector to the war, saying that since the outbreak of the war in April 2023 between the Sudanese army and the Rapid Support Forces, war efforts on both sides have been heavily funded by the gold sector.
“nearly 20 million people facing catastrophic levels of hunger”
It also said Sudan suffers from the world’s worst hunger and displacement crisis, with nearly 20 million people facing catastrophic levels of hunger, as the collapse added to the toll of a country already under strain.
Sky News Arabia echoed the war-funding connection, stating that since April 2023, both sides have heavily funded their war effort through the gold sector and that the conflict has severely damaged an economy already weak.
Sky News Arabia added that Sudan faces two of the world’s largest humanitarian crises—food insecurity and displacement—affecting about 20 million people with extreme hunger levels, while the mine collapse left workers trapped and missing under rubble.