Forty-two people, mostly women, were killed and many injured after an artisanal gold mine collapsed in western Mali on Saturday, the head of an industry union said.
The accident took place near the town of Kenieba in Mali's gold-rich Kayes region. It is the second major accident this year in the French-speaking West African country, which is one of Africa’s top three gold producers.
The prefect of Kéniéba, who represents the government in the locality, confirmed the incident. “The death toll of 42 should be definitive, It was a landslide at a site run by Chinese nationals," Mohamed Dicko told The Associated Press on Sunday.
This is the second time in less than a month that such an accident has occurred in Mali. On January 29, a landslide killed several gold miners, mostly women, in the Koulikoro region in the south of the country.
In January last year, an unregulated gold mine collapsed near the capital, Bamako, killing more than 70 people.
In recent years, there have been concerns that profits from unregulated mining in northern Mali could benefit extremists active in that part of the country.
“Gold is by far Mali’s most important export, comprising more than 80% of total exports in 2021,” according to the International Trade Administration of the U.S. Department of Commerce. It says more than 2 million people, or more than 10% of Mali’s population, depend on the mining sector for income.
Artisanal gold mining is estimated to produce around 30 tons of gold a year and represents 6% of Mali’s annual gold production.