At least 48 dead in Mali gold mine collapse

English , International - بین الاقوامی , Snippets , / Sunday, February 16th, 2025

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RKI Network
At least 48 people were killed in the collapse of an illegally operated gold mine in western Mali on Saturday, according to local authorities and sources. The tragic incident took place in the Kayes region, near the town of Kenieba, a prominent area for gold production.
Reports indicate that many of the victims were women who had entered the open-pit mine to search for gold scraps left behind by industrial miners when the earth collapsed around them. Among the deceased was a woman with her baby strapped to her back, who fell into the water during the accident. The search for additional victims is ongoing.
Mali, one of Africa’s leading gold producers, has long struggled with the dangers of unregulated mining. The government has been unable to control the widespread illegal mining activities, which are often poorly managed and unsafe. Saturday’s accident took place at an abandoned mining site once operated by a Chinese company.
This latest collapse follows a similar tragedy in January, where a landslide in southern Mali killed at least 10 people, many of them women. Just over a year ago, another deadly tunnel collapse at a gold mining site in the same region claimed the lives of more than 70 people.
The incident has once again highlighted the risks faced by miners working in unregulated sectors of the country, emphasizing the urgent need for better safety measures and government oversight to prevent further tragedies.