The latest tragedy in an area where mining accidents are common has resulted in the deaths of over 70 people when a tunnel collapsed at a gold mining site in Mali last week, local sources told AFP on Wednesday.
One of Africa's top producers of gold is Mali, one of the poorest nations on earth.
Authorities find it difficult to regulate artisanal mining of the precious metal, and fatal landslides frequently occur at gold mining sites.
"There was a sound at first. Oumar Sidibe, a representative for gold miners in the village of Kangaba in the southwest, described the occurrence to AFP on Friday, saying, "The earth started to shake."
More than 200 gold miners were present in the area. This concludes the search. It says, 'We've located seventy-three bodies.
A local council member the same toll.
The mines ministry of Mali stated in a statement on Tuesday that many miners had died, although it did not provide exact numbers.
In a statement, the government expressed its "deepest condolences to the grieving families and to the Malian people".
It further asked "communities living near mining sites and gold miners to scrupulously respect safety requirements and to work only within the perimeters dedicated to gold panning" .
Foreign companies, such as Canada's Barrick Gold and B2Gold, Australia's Resolute Mining, and Britain's Hummingbird Resources, control the majority of the mining industry in Mali. These companies operate in the nation despite years of political unrest.
However, hundreds of gold miners are drawn to artisanal mines, which are still thriving.
- Perilous conditions -
It's risky work digging for gold in the Sahel.
Child labor in artisanal mining enterprises is often denounced by human rights organizations.
The International Organization for Migration (IOM) reported in 2019 that dangerous living and working circumstances are caused by the constant influx of new laborers engaged in gold panning and the absence of infrastructure to accommodate them.
"Living far from an urban centre, in areas where the State presence is negligible, the migrants generally benefit from no measures of workplace protection," according to the paper.
"In the event of illness or accident, it is difficult to obtain treatment or care, given the distance to hospital and the state of the roads," according to the IOM.
"The hostile and precarious living conditions nevertheless do not stop the miners from settling at the sites" .
A dynamite stockpile explosion at an artisanal gold mining operation in southwest Burkina Faso in February 2022 resulted in the deaths of at least 59 individuals.
Senegal, Guinea, and western Mali are other countries where mining accidents are often recorded.
Mali produced 72.2 tons of gold in 2022, and according to the country's former minister of mining, Lamine Seydou Traore, in March of last year, the metal contributed 10% of GDP, 75% of export revenues, and 25% of the national budget.
The military authorities in Mali have vowed to restore sovereignty and allow the nation to reap the benefits of its abundant natural resources ever since seizing control in 2020. Mining incidents are seldom reported by the authorities.
In August, Mali passed a new mining policy that allows the government to invest up to thirty percent in new ventures.
According to the administration, the change should increase the state budget's yearly revenue by at least 500 billion CFA francs ($830 million).
End//voice7news.tv
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