Sập mỏ vàng ở Mali, hơn 70 người thiệt mạng

On January 24, local media in Mali reported that more than 70 people were killed in the collapse of a gold mining tunnel that occurred on January 19 in the Kangaba area, a gold mining site in southwestern Mali.

According to figures released by the media, the collapse killed 73 of the more than 200 gold miners working at the site at the time of the accident.

In a press release issued Jan. 23, Mali's Ministry of Mines mentioned the deaths of several gold miners but did not give an exact number. The government offered its condolences to the victims' families and urged gold miners to strictly respect safety requirements.

Mali has frequent accidents during gold mining. Photo: Bloomberg

As one of the top gold producers in Africa, Mali's gold smelting sites are frequently the site of fatal accidents. The authorities are also struggling to control the artisanal mining of this precious metal.

In March 2023, then-Malian Minister of Mines Lamine Seydou Traoré said that with 72.2 tonnes produced in 2022 (including 6 tonnes of hand-treated gold), gold alone contributed to 25% of Mali's national budget, 75% of export revenues and 10% of GDP.

In August 2023, the country passed a new mining law allowing the State to participate up to 30% in new projects. According to the government, it will bring at least 500 billion CFA francs (762 million euros) to the state budget annually.