
A gold mining accident in southwestern Mali has claimed the lives of at least 13 artisanal miners, including women and three children, after a tunnel flooded on Wednesday, the National Union of Gold Counters and Refineries (UCROM) confirmed on Saturday.
The tragedy unfolded near the village of Danga in the Kangaba Cercle, Koulikoro region, when a water reservoir’s sluice gates collapsed, sending a torrent of muddy water into the tunnel where miners were searching for gold remnants.
UCROM Secretary General Taoule Camara described the situation as severe. “There were many women inside. We spent all day yesterday draining the water to begin recovering the bodies,” he said earlier this week before the full death toll was confirmed.
Artisanal gold mining is widespread in West Africa, driven by soaring metal prices, but it remains fraught with danger due to unregulated excavation practices. Fatal accidents are common—just last January, over 70 people were killed when a mine shaft collapsed in the same area.