Rescuers in Sudan have recovered at least 82 bodies from a collapsed informal gold mine in West Kordofan, while dozens of people remain unaccounted for, according to local officials and community responders. The death toll could rise as the search continues.
The disaster struck the al-Zara mine near Nuhud, in territory controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces. Suleiman Abu Hmeida of the Emergency Response Rooms, a grassroots relief network, told The Associated Press that 82 bodies had been brought out by Wednesday afternoon. A local administration official gave the same figure.
Survivors described a difficult operation in unstable ground with little heavy equipment. One local official said only a privately owned forklift was available. A miner told AP that crews lacked machinery to move soil and stones from shafts more than 30 metres deep. Families are still waiting for news of people who were working underground.
Accounts differ on exactly when the collapse began. A local official told AP that one shaft gave way on Sunday and the failure spread to connected shafts; other survivors and medical responders described a major collapse and overnight rescue effort beginning on Tuesday. The sequence has not yet been independently established.
The Sudan Doctors Network initially reported a lower toll as recovery work progressed and warned that the site lacked basic safety measures. Informal mining provides livelihoods to many Sudanese, but rescue capacity and oversight are especially limited in areas affected by the country’s war. Fighting between the Rapid Support Forces and the Sudanese military has continued since April 2023.
Sources: The Associated Press, 16 September 2026; Sky News; Sudan Tribune.