BAMAKO, Mali
An illegal gold mine in western Mali suffered a devastating collapse late Saturday, killing dozens of miners under debris as they searched for gold, said local authorities. Most were reportedly women.
Local authorities reported that rescue operations were still underway at Bilali Koto well into the evening, with emergency services and local volunteers working to extract survivors from the rubble. However, the remote location and the nature of the disaster made rescue efforts challenging.
Local authorities said the collapse had killed at least 48 people, but the death toll remains provisional and is likely to rise.
"The situation is dire; we are doing everything we can to save those who might still be alive," said a local official who asked to remain anonymous due to the sensitivity of the issue.
The disaster has underscored the dangers associated with informal mining, particularly when done in unregulated and hazardous conditions. Mali, one of Africa's leading gold producers, has seen a surge in such informal mining activities, often leading to accidents due to lack of safety measures.
Demba Keita, a local resident, told Anadolu: “It's my home village that has just suffered this, and ... many of our administrators and members of civil society have made millions of Central African francs (the local currency).”
This incident adds to growing concerns about the safety and regulation of informal mining not just in Mali but across the Sahel region, where similar incidents have occurred in the past due to similar circumstances.
On Jan. 30, at least 15 women died in a landslide on an informal mine in the village of Danga in Koulikoro in southwestern Mali.
Last February, more than 70 people were killed when a mine collapsed in the same region. One of the poorest countries in the world, Mali is also one of Africa's leading gold producers.
Gold attracts large foreign groups working with official authorization, but also informal gold miners from all over the region whom authorities are struggling to curb and who take considerable risk in the hope of finding gold without adequate protection.
