Death toll from Sudan gold mine collapse rises to 82

The death toll from a devastating collapse at the Zera gold mine near Nuhud, a city in Sudan’s West Kordofan state controlled by the Rapid Support Forces (RSF), has risen to 82.

Operative Information Center-OMM reports that representatives of regional Emergency Response Rooms and local authorities provided the information.

According to the reports, the collapse began in one shaft at the artisanal mine and spread in a chain reaction to other interconnected shafts. The lack of heavy equipment at the site, with only one piece of machinery being used in search-and-rescue operations, is severely hampering efforts to address the aftermath. Rescuers and miners are using rudimentary tools to reach dozens of people trapped under soil and rock more than 30 meters underground.

The Sudan Doctors Network said basic safety standards had not been observed at the mine site. More than 2 million people work in rudimentary mines such as Zera, which has been operating since May 2025, and around 80 percent of Sudan’s total gold output is produced through such hazardous methods.