A gold mine collapse in Nuhud, West Kordofan province, Sudan, on September 13, 2026, has resulted in at least 82 deaths and many more missing. The incident occurred at an informal al-Zara gold mine, with rescuers struggling to find survivors due to a lack of proper equipment. Local officials and activists reported the high death toll by September 16, highlighting inadequate safety measures at unregulated mining sites. This collapse follows similar tragedies in Sudan where informal mines often fail to meet basic safety standards.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-17,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
On Sunday, September 13, 2026, a gold mine collapsed at the Al-Zaraa site in Nuhud town within Sudan's West Kordofan province, leading to the death of at least 82 workers. The collapse occurred due to interconnected shafts that fell one after another, and rescuers using rudimentary tools have pulled out these bodies over several days. Many more miners remain unaccounted for, feared dead beneath the rubble. The region is controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been in conflict with Sudan's military for over three years. The lack of safety protocols and rescue equipment exacerbated the tragedy, highlighting ongoing issues in labor rights and government oversight within war-torn Sudan.
Written for “Sudan Gold Mine Collapse” on 2026-09-17,
grounded in this article and the 1 other(s) covering the same event.
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answer rather than a gap: a match report or a rescue can be warmly
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No political leaning scored for article 14737 · logged 2026-09-17
The death toll from the collapse of an informal gold mine in a remote area of Sudan has risen to 82, according to local officials and activists, as rescuers struggled on Wednesday (September 16, 2026) to search for the missing with limited equipment.
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rescuers → rise → equipment
It is the latest tragedy in a nation mired in a devastating war.
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It → mire → war
Survivors said the collapse happened at the al-Zara gold mine, in Nuhud, a town in West Kordofan province, which is controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) that have been fighting against the Sudanese military for over three years.
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that → say → years
Suleiman Abu Hmeida, a member of the Emergency Response Rooms, said rescuers pulled out 82 bodies by Wednesday afternoon (September 16, 2026).
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rescuers → say → afternoon
“But dozens remain unaccounted for,” Abu Hmeida said.
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Hmeida → remain → ?
The Emergency Response Rooms is a grassroots network that monitors the conflict and provides support for communities across war-torn Sudan.
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that → monitor → Sudan
A local administration official also said 82 bodies were recovered.
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bodies → say → ?
The official said the collapse began on Sunday (September 13, 2026) in one of the mine shafts and spread to the other interconnected shafts.
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collapse → say → shafts
He said only one privately owned forklift is available for the rescue efforts, complicating the search for survivors.
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forklift → say → survivors
The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.
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he → speak → media
“The collapse is massive and the situation is very dire,” Khairal-Sayed Gabara, one of the survivors, told AP when reached by phone.
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Gabara → tell → phone
He said the machinery meeded to remove the collapsed soil and rubble was not available.
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rubble → say → soil
“We do not have the machinery to lift dirt and stones and search for survivors at depths of more than 30 metres (98 feet),” he said.
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he → have → metres
The al-Zara gold mine is one of thousands of small-scale and informal mines scattered across Sudan, which has been engulfed in a war that has at times pushed parts of the country into famine.
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that → scatter → famine
Despite being a major gold producer, deadly mine collapses in Sudan are not uncommon in a country where safety standards are not widely applied.
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standards → apply → country
A 2023 collapse killed 14 miners and one in 2021 claimed 38 lives.
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one → kill → lives
The Sudan Doctors Network, a medical group tracking the war in Sudan, reported earlier that 67 bodies were pulled out from under the rubble, predicting the death toll could increase as rescuers continued to search for people trapped under the rubble.
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rescuers → track → rubble
The group said the mine — an informal site that employs unregulated workers — lacked basic safety and protective measures.
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that → say → measures
Earlier, survivors reached by phone and the physicians network said the tragedy took place on Tuesday evening (September 15, 2026).
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tragedy → reach → evening
The Kordofan Observatory monitoring group said at least 70 miners were killed or missing at the site, which stretches over 1 km across a wide swath of fragile, sandy soil.
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which → monitor → soil
It described the miners as unregulated and informal workers.
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It → describe → workers
Large quantities of gold have been smuggled out of the country to finance the paramilitary RSF, which controls gold-producing areas in Darfur and Kordofan regions, according to experts commissioned by the United Nations.
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which → smuggle → Nations
Sudan plunged into an all-out war in April 2023 as fighting erupted between the RSF and the Sudanese military.
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fighting → plunge → RSF
The conflict has killed at least 59,000 people, according to Armed Conflict Location & Event Data, a monitoring group.
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conflict → kill → Data
Aid organisations say the figure is an undercount, and the true number could be many times higher.
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number → say → ?
The Aporia
