How exactly the accident happened is still unclear: at least 70 people died in a Malian gold mine. More gold is mined in the country than almost anywhere else.
According to authorities, more than 70 people were killed when a tunnel collapsed in an informal gold mine in southeast Mali. It’s an accident. The cause of the accident is unclear. “It all started with a hum. The earth started shaking,” said Oumar Sidibé, a representative of the gold panners.
Tunnel in the unofficial gold mine in Mali
Lacking Safety precautions could be the cause
The tunnel collapsed last Friday. The West African country’s mining ministry deeply regretted the accident and called on miners and nearby communities to adhere to safety regulations.
Baye Coulibaly, a ministry spokesman, said gold panners had dug tunnels without meeting required standards. “We advised them against it several times to no avail,” said Coulibaly. Karim Berthé from the mining authority demanded: “The state must bring order to this small-scale mining industry in order to avoid these types of accidents in the future.”
Mali, one of the world’s poorest countries, is one of the world’s largest gold producers. Fatal accidents occur again and again in the country’s pits and mines. On the one hand, gold panners often find themselves in dangerous situations in search of the precious metal, but on the other hand, safety regulations are lax and compliance with them is not monitored.