KHARTOUM, March 31 (Xinhua) -- At least 10 people were killed after a gold mine collapsed in the Northern State of Sudan on Thursday, local media reported on Friday.
Dozens of miners were trapped after the collapse of a well at the Jabal Al-Ahmar mine in the Wadi Halfa area, Sudan's official news agency SUNA quoted eyewitnesses as saying.
The bodies of 10 miners, most of whom were young people, and three injured people were transferred to the Wadi Halfa Hospital, according to the report.
While search is underway for the missing, local security sources indicated that the number of fatalities is expected to rise due to the difficulty of rescue operations.
Mining accidents are common in Sudan due to poor working conditions and lax enforcement of safety regulations.
More than 2 million Sudanese are working in the mining sector, which produces around 80 percent of the country's gold, according to Sudan's Minerals Ministry. ■
