Over 70 Killed in Mali Due to Gold Mine Collapse

Mali's officials have reported that over 70 people have lost their lives in the aftermath of the collapse of an informal gold mine last week.

Search operations are ongoing, amid concerns that the death toll may rise.

Karim Berthe, a senior official in Mali's National Directorate of Geology and Mining, a government agency, provided details of the incident to the Associated Press on Wednesday, emphasizing that it was an unforeseen accident.

Berthe stressed that the state must regulate this artisanal mining sector to prevent such incidents in the future, saying, "The state must regulate this artisanal mining sector to avoid this type of accident."

The cause of the collapse, which occurred on Friday, has not been immediately clear and was announced by the Ministry of Mines in a statement on Tuesday.

The Ministry of Mines expressed "deep regret" over the collapse and urged both miners and communities near mining sites to "comply with safety requirements."

It's worth noting that such collapses are common in Mali, the third-largest gold producer in Africa, and mine workers are often accused of disregarding safety measures, particularly in remote areas.