Current:Home > ContactMore than 70 are dead after an unregulated gold mine collapsed in Mali, an official says -FutureProof Finance
More than 70 are dead after an unregulated gold mine collapsed in Mali, an official says
View
Date:2025-04-12 17:04:18
BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — An unregulated gold mine collapsed late last week in Mali, killing more than 70 people, an official said Wednesday, and a search continued amid fears that the toll could rise.
Karim Berthé, a senior official at the government’s National Geology and Mining Directorate, confirmed the details to The Associated Press and called it an accident.
There were around 100 people in the mine at the time of the collapse, according to Abdoulaye Pona, president of the Mali Chamber of Mines, who was at the scene.
The cause of the collapse, which happened in Kangaba district in the southwestern Koulikoro region on Friday, was under investigation. It was first reported on Tuesday in a Ministry of Mines statement that estimated “several” miners dead.
Such tragedies are common in Mali, Africa’s No. 3 gold producer. Artisanal miners — small-scale, informal ones — are often accused of ignoring safety measures, especially in remote areas.
“The state must bring order to this artisanal mining sector to avoid these kinds of accidents in the future,” Berthé said.
The Ministry of Mines statement “deeply regretted” the collapse, and urged miners and communities living near mining sites to “comply with safety requirements.”
In recent years, there have been concerns that profits from unregulated mining in northern Mali could benefit extremists active in that part of the country.
The region of this latest collapse, however, is far to the south of that and closer to the capital, Bamako.
“Gold is by far Mali’s most important export, comprising more than 80% of total exports in 2021,” according to the International Trade Administration with the U.S. Department of Commerce. It says more than 2 million people, or more than 10% of Mali’s population, depend on the mining sector for income.
Artisanal gold mining is estimated to produce around 30 tons of gold a year, and represents 6% of Mali’s annual gold production.
The Ministry of Mines has estimated that the country has 800 tons in gold deposits. The country also has an estimated 2 million gold miners operating in around 300 artisanal mining sites, Pona said.
veryGood! (49)
Related
- McKinsey to pay $650 million after advising opioid maker on how to 'turbocharge' sales
- CEOs of OpenAI and Intel cite artificial intelligence’s voracious appetite for processing power
- A hospital is suing to move a quadriplegic 18-year-old to a nursing home. She says no
- Home sales rose in January as easing mortgage rates, inventory enticed homebuyers
- Elon Musk's skyrocketing net worth: He's the first person with over $400 billion
- Free agent shortstop Tim Anderson agrees to one-year deal with Marlins
- Rapper Kodak Black freed from jail after drug possession charge was dismissed
- New Hampshire House rejects allowing voluntary waiver of gun ownership rights
- Trump suggestion that Egypt, Jordan absorb Palestinians from Gaza draws rejections, confusion
- 90 Day Fiancé’s Mary Denucciõ Clarifies She Does Not Have Colon Cancer Despite Announcement
Ranking
- 2025 'Doomsday Clock': This is how close we are to self
- 'Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth' review: Savor the story, skim the open world
- Georgia GOP senators seek to ban sexually explicit books from school libraries, reduce sex education
- LA ethics panel rejects proposed fine for ex-CBS exec Les Moonves over police probe interference
- Nearly half of US teens are online ‘constantly,’ Pew report finds
- AT&T cellphone service out for tens of thousands across the country
- How demand and administrative costs are driving up the cost of college
- What Black women's hair taught me about agency, reinvention and finding joy
Recommendation
Chuck Scarborough signs off: Hoda Kotb, Al Roker tribute legendary New York anchor
Slayings of tourists and Colombian women expose the dark side of Medellin’s tourism boom
Kodai Senga injury: New York Mets ace shut down with shoulder problem
Zendaya Slyly Comments on Boyfriend Tom Holland’s “Rizz”
DoorDash steps up driver ID checks after traffic safety complaints
Lawyers for Malcolm X family say new statements implicate NYPD, feds in assassination
What we know about death of Oklahoma teen Nex Benedict after beating in school bathroom
'Avatar: The Last Airbender': Release date, cast, where to watch live-action series