48 Dead, 10 Injured as Mali's Gold Mine Collapses in Major Disaster

New Delhi (Uttam Hindu): A gold mine collapse in Mali's Kayes region has killed 48 people, most of them women. The incident took place in Bilalkoto, a village in the Dabia commune in the Keniba district. Eyewitnesses confirmed that a caterpillar machine fell on an illegal artisanal mine where the victims, including a group of women, were working in search of gold. Local officials said 48 people died on the spot, while about 10 others were seriously injured and were rushed to a nearby hospital for treatment. Some sources have suggested that the death toll could rise to 50, but this is still unconfirmed as the injuries could be even more serious.

Rescue and relief operations are still underway at the site. The tragedy comes after a similar incident in January, when at least 10 people were killed when a mine collapsed in the Danga area of ​​the Kangaba district. Mali has also seen violence linked to armed groups, as evidenced by an attack on a convoy of vehicles guarded by the Malian army. That attack in the Gao region killed 25 civilians, many of them miners. It was the deadliest attack on civilians in the country this year, as tensions escalate with armed groups opposed to the ruling junta. The situation in Mali remains dire, with both mining accidents and armed conflicts claiming innocent lives.