100 miners feared dead in Sudan mine pit collapse

Nine rescuers and as many as 100 workers are feared dead at mine collapse in Sudan’s Darfur region.

AllAfrica.com reported on May 6 that the search for 100 workers who were in the gold mine when it collapsed on April 29 was called off after nine rescuers were also trapped in further collapses in the mine. No one has been found alive.

“Today the searching has stopped because it was too dangerous,” a fellow rescuer said from the scene of the tragedy in Jebel Amir district, more than 200km north-west of the North Darfur state capital, El Fasher, reported AllAfrica.com.

The nine rescuers disappeared on May 2 when the earth collapsed around them. It was reported that eight bodies had been recovered.

Al Sareif Beni Hussein commissioner Haroun Hussein Jame told Radio Dabanga that search efforts were continuing. He explained that the hollow grounds around Jebel ‘Amer did not allow for the use of heavy machinery as it could lead to further collapses of excavation pits. He also confirmed that it was not possible to calculate an accurate casualty toll because there were no specific lists to register who had gone down the mine, and all figures were just estimations.