Mali: a gold mine collapses and kills at least 50 gold miners in the South-West
In Mali, a collapse in the Kobadani artisanal gold mine killed at least fifty people on Friday January 19.
This gold panning site is located in the Kangaba circle, approximately 90 km from Bamako.
If the Malian authorities mention, in a press release, the death of several gold miners, without further details.
At least 50 miners died during this tragedy, local sources reported to RFI's Mandenkan service.
Gold panning practices have been banned in several mines, although practiced for centuries in Mali.
Here, tunnels used by miners, in Koflatie on October 28, 2014 (illustrative photo).
© Sébastien Rieussec / AFP
By: RFI Follow
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A gallery collapsed at a gold panning site in Kobadani, in an accident that occurred while many miners were still in the mine.
Operations are underway to search for victims according to the Malian Ministry of Mines, which does not provide details on the toll.
A resident of the area, contacted by RFI's Mandenkan
service
, affirms that this is not the first time that a landslide has occurred on this site.
However, this time, many bodies were pulled out of the ground.
“
The earth began to shake
”
According to local sources, at least 50 miners died during the tragedy.
However, a Kangaba gold miner manager asserts that “
73 bodies
[were]
found
”: “
It started with a noise.
The earth began to shake.
There were more than 200 gold prospectors in the field.
The research is over now.
We are at 73 bodies found
,” Oumar Sidibé told AFP.
The number of victims was confirmed by an elected official of the municipality
According to him, mining activity is currently prohibited in the area.
Signs have been put up to warn of the danger, and supervisors prevent people from going down into the mines.
But some manage to circumvent the ban that some circumvent.
An assessment mission visited the site.
In its press release, the Ministry of Mines invites communities living near mining sites and gold miners to respect safety instructions and to work only and strictly within areas dedicated to gold panning.
Read alsoMali: the artisanal gold trade still in limbo
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