More than 40 people, mainly women, were killed after an illegal gold mine collapsed in Mali on Saturday.
The collapse took place near Kéniéba in Mali’s western, golden kayes region.
The victims had climbed in areas in the open areas that were left by industrial mountain people to search for scraps of gold when the earth broke around them, a union leader of the gold mining told Reuters.
This is Mali Second fatal mining accident in three weeksAfter at least 10 people when a mining tunnel flooded at the end of January.
There are contradictory reports about the number of people who died in the event of an accident on Saturday.
The AFP news agency informed a local police source that 48 people were killed in collapse, while the head of an industrial union of Reuters shared with 43 victims.
“Some of the victims fell into the water. Among them was a woman on her back with her baby,” the local police source told AFP.
Rescue workers were able to call up the corpses, said local sources of the BBC.
Mali is one of the largest gold producers in the world.
Accidents are common in the country, so much mining activity is not regulated, with miners use uncertain methods for digging for gold.
A little more than a year ago At least 40 people were killed after a tunnel collapsed In a mine.
It is also common for illegal miners – mainly women – to regain gold from abandoned locations due to poverty.
A spokesman for the country’s ministry of mines confirmed Reuters that the accident between the cities of Kéniéba and Dabia had taken place, but rejected further details.
Ministry teams create a report at the scene, reports Reuters.
According to AFP, the collapse on Saturday occurred in an abandoned place that was previously operated by a Chinese company.
Beijing is strongly invested in the development of Mali’s mining industry, with the consent of his government.
Since Mali is rich in natural resources, including gold, iron ore, manganese, lithium and uranium, it is an attractive goal for Chinese investors.
While such investments have improved Mali’s infrastructure, especially in the transport sector, the government has accumulated considerable debt obligations towards China, which causes concerns about the ability to repay the loans.
Chinese mining activities have also been criticized for helping to pollute pollution in the country.
Mali is currently a dispute with one of the largest participation with one of the largest mining companies with one of the largest mining companies in the country, the Canadian company Barrick.
Last month, Goldbar’s Malian government, worth $ 245 million (194 million GBP), confiscated Barrick and issued an arrest warrant for his CEO, Mark Bristow.
Mr. Bristow said that he had “no doubt” that the conflict would be solved in an interview with Bloomberg this week.
