At least 31 killed in Sudanese gold mine collapse

KHARTOUM, Sudan

At least 31 people were killed and eight were reported missing when a rudimentary private gold mine collapsed on top of them in western Sudan, officials said.

The Darsaya mine near al-Nahud, a town about 500 kilometers (310 miles) west of Khartoum, was reopened after the government shut it down amid safety concerns.

Local media first reported that shafts in the Darsaya mine had given way, leading to 31 deaths and injuries, DW reported.

"Thirty-one traditional miners were killed because of a mine collapsing," said Khaled Dahwa, the head of the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company in the West Kordofan region where Nahud is located.

The AP news agency reported, citing local officials, that at least 38 people died and eight were injured in the collapse. 

The state-run mining company posted images on Facebook showing hundreds of villages lined at the site as heavy diggers tried to find more survivors and bodies. People were pictured preparing tombs for the victims in other social media images.

Another mining official said four miners were killed at the same mine in January. "Authorities at the time shut down the mine and installed security but a couple of months ago they left," Dahwa said.