70 killed in gold mine tunnel collapse in Mali

International Desk: More than 70 people have been killed in the collapse of a gold mining tunnel in the African country of Mali. There were more than 200 workers at the site. The news agency AP and Al Jazeera reported this information in separate reports on Thursday (January 25).

However, the British media BBC reported that the death toll was at least 40. At least 40 people have been killed in a tunnel collapse at a gold mine in Mali, the BBC reports. Omar Sidibe, a local official at the gold mine, told news agency AFP, "The mine collapsed after a noise. The earth then began to tremble. Last Friday, the tunnel collapsed at a location in the southwestern Kaulikoro region of the African country, but the full death toll is not yet known. However, citing officials, AFP reported that more than 70 people died in the tunnel collapse. Omar Sidibe said, "There were more than 200 gold miners in that field. The search is now over.

We found 73 dead bodies.' But Bay Coulibaly, a spokesman for Mali's mining ministry, told Reuters news agency that provisional figures put the death toll at more than 40. Meanwhile, the Malian government expressed its "deepest condolences to the bereaved families and the Malian people". The government has also asked communities living near mining sites to adhere to safety regulations and work in areas reserved for gold panning only. According to the BBC, mining accidents are very common in Mali. Because most miners work using unsafe methods to extract gold. Coulibaly said the ministry strongly advised miners against digging unauthorized tunnels. But their advice has been 'ineffective'. The ministry also said it would investigate the incident further and send a team to the area on Thursday. Mali is one of the poorest countries in the world. But one of the most gold-mining countries in Africa is Mali. There are occasional reports of mining accidents in the country.