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The death toll from the collapse of artisanal gold-mining shafts in the Fuga area of Sudan’s West Kordofan State has risen to 83, according to government authorities.
Khalid Danaa, Minister of Information in the Peace Government, said the authorities were following up on the collapse of the Al-Zar’ah mine in the Fuga area and its resulting loss of life.
The Peace Government is an administration formed through an alliance between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudan People’s Liberation Movement-North and exercises control over parts of western Sudan.
Danaa told Radio Tamazuj that the conditions under which artisanal miners work lack even basic safety measures. He said the government received numerous appeals from residents, relatives of victims and activists immediately after the incident, calling for intensified efforts to rescue those trapped and provide the resources needed to respond to the disaster.
He said the government was giving the appeals serious attention, adding that, according to eyewitnesses, the death toll had risen to 83, while several people remained missing or trapped underground. He warned that the number of casualties could increase.
Danaa said the government would make every effort to search for those still trapped and recover the bodies of those killed.
The Peace Government has appealed to international and national humanitarian organizations and donors to respond urgently and provide the humanitarian and logistical assistance required to deal with the disaster.
Danaa expressed deep sorrow over the incident, offered his condolences to the families of the victims, and voiced hope that those still trapped underground would be rescued as quickly as possible.