At least dozens of people, most of them women, have tragically lost their lives following the collapse of an illegal gold mine in western Mali on Saturday. Local officials confirmed that the victims were attempting to extract small pieces of gold from an open-pit left by industrial miners when the disaster struck.
The collapse occurred in the Bilali Koto region, an area known for artisanal mining activities. Rescue operations were launched immediately, with emergency services, volunteers, and local officials working tirelessly throughout the evening to extract survivors from the rubble. However, authorities have stated that many individuals sustained injuries, and they fear that the death toll may continue to rise as more bodies are recovered from the site.
The victims, including many women, had climbed into the abandoned pit in search of gold, hoping to find fragments that could help support their livelihoods. Such informal and illegal mining practices have become increasingly common in Mali and across the region, where mining operations are largely unregulated.
This tragedy has once again drawn attention to the risks associated with illegal mining, which has surged in recent years due to the rising demand for gold and the lack of proper regulations. Last month, a similar disaster occurred when a landslide at another artisanal gold mine in Mali claimed the lives of several people, again mostly women. These incidents underscore the growing danger posed by unregulated mining practices, which have led to an increasing number of fatalities.
Mali is one of the world’s largest gold producers, yet much of its mining industry remains informal and poorly regulated. As a result, many people resort to unsafe and illegal mining operations in search of economic opportunity, despite the significant risks involved.
The government and humanitarian groups have called for urgent reforms to address the safety concerns surrounding artisanal mining. Efforts to implement better regulation and provide safer working conditions for miners are seen as crucial to preventing further tragedies in the future. The ongoing recovery efforts are expected to continue over the coming days, with officials warning that the true scale of the disaster may not be fully known until all the debris is cleared.
