Port Sudan, September 21 (Darfur24)
Ten people were killed and 21 others injured after five artisanal mining wells collapsed in the Oni area, northeast of Al-Ansari market in Red Sea State, on Saturday, according to eyewitnesses and relatives of victims.
Several miners remain missing under the rubble, while rescue teams continued searching the site on Sunday.
Eyewitnesses told Darfur24 that dozens of miners from Darfur, Kassala and Red Sea states were working inside the wells when they collapsed.
Al-Nadhir Abdullah Ibrahim, an eyewitness, said the complete collapse of the wells hampered rescue efforts and prevented teams from immediately recovering all the bodies. Bulldozers continued clearing the rubble in an attempt to reach those still missing.
He said more than five of the victims were from Qureida and Al-Jawghana, about 90 kilometers south of Nyala in South Darfur State, while others came from Kassala and Red Sea states.
Ahmed Mohamed Musa, a resident of Qureida, told Darfur24 that several miners from the town died in the collapse, identifying some of the victims as Othman Hussein Mohamed, Al-Mahi Omar Zakaria, Mubarak Dawoud and Haitham Adam.
He said a mourning ceremony was held in Qureida for some of the victims.
The incident comes days after dozens of miners were reportedly killed when artisanal mining wells collapsed in the Al-Raqiq area of West Kordofan State, with the fate of others still unknown.
In July, about 12 people were killed when an artisanal mining well collapsed in Dar Mali, River Nile State. Most victims were from South Darfur, White Nile, and Kassala states.
Artisanal mining remains a major source of income for thousands of Sudanese despite persistent safety risks, including poorly constructed wells, a lack of protective equipment, and frequent collapses.