BAMAKO, Mali: At least 48 people were killed in the collapse of a gold mine in western Mali on Saturday, officials and local sources confirmed on Sunday.
A police source, quoted by AFP, said, “The toll at 1800 today is 48 dead following the collapse. Some of the victims fell into the water. Among them was a woman with her baby on her back.”
The Kenieba gold miners’ association also reported the same casualty figure.
According to media reports, officials were investigating whether the mine was operating legally. A local official confirmed the cave-in, and the search for more victims was ongoing, according to an environmental organisation representative.
This is the second major mining accident in Mali within a month. On 29 January, a landslide at a gold mine in the Koulikoro region killed several miners, mostly women.
In January last year, an unregulated gold mine near the capital, Bamako, collapsed, killing more than 70 people.
Mali, one of Africa’s largest gold producers, is heavily reliant on the mining sector. According to the International Trade Administration of the US Department of Commerce, gold accounted for more than 80 percent of Mali’s total exports in 2021.
Over two million people—more than 10 percent of the country’s population—depend on mining for their livelihoods.
Artisanal gold mining alone produces around 30 tonnes of gold annually, contributing six percent to the country’s total gold production.
