At least 15 people were killed when a disused gold mine they were illegally digging in collapsed in northern Sudan on Monday, authorities said.
Another person was seriously injured in the mine collapse in the Wadi Halfa area near the border with Egypt. The mine was closed years ago for safety reasons, authorities said.
Mining for gold has long been popular among Sudanese looking to boost their income, but it has become more widespread since civil war broke out three years ago, causing a scarcity of jobs and high inflation.
The Sudanese army now controls northern, central and eastern areas of the country, including the capital, Khartoum. Its war rival, the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, controls the western Darfur region and parts of the neighbouring Kordofan region, and the southern Blue Nile state.
Sudan is among Africa’s top gold producers, and as many as two million people are now involved in mining for the precious metal, according to some estimates.
Egypt's military said last month that 87 Egyptians and 136 foreigners were arrested in a large-scale operation against gangs involved in drugs and arms trafficking, as well as illegal gold prospecting, in the south of the country.
The military did not give details of the arrested foreigners' nationalities. But security officials told The National that hundreds of Sudanese have been detained on suspicion of entering the country illegally to prospect for gold in the desert and mountains of south-eastern Egypt.
The officials said that the area near the southern border had attracted up to 50,000 gold prospectors from Sudan – including members of smuggling gangs – who used crude instruments to search for gold.
