At least 31 killed in Sudan gold mine collapse

At least 31 miners were killed in Sudan on Tuesday when a rudimentary gold mine collapsed.

Khaled Dahwa, the head of the state-run Mineral Resources Company said that the tragic accident occurred near Nuhud,a town about 500 kilometres west of Khartoum.

One person survived but eight others are still missing.

Another official at the company said four miners were killed at the same mine in January. "Authorities at the time shut down the mine and installed security but a couple of months ago they left," he said.

Ramshackle infrastructure

About two million artisanal miners produce around 80 percent of the country's annual gold production. Artisanal gold mining is a dangerous occupation in Sudan largely due to ramshackle infrastructure.

Sudan has recently suffered runaway inflation and embarked on tough economic reforms, including slashing subsidies on petrol and diesel and launching a managed currency float. It is also reeling from political turbulence in the wake of a coup led by military chief General Abdel Fattah al-Burhan on October 25.