More than 70 are dead after an unregulated gold mine collapsed in Mali, an official says

By BABA AHMED
Associated Press

BAMAKO, Mali (AP) — An official in Mali says that more than 70 people have been killed after an unregulated gold mine collapsed late last week. A search continues amid fears the toll could rise. The senior official at the government’s National Geology and Mining Directorate confirmed the details to The Associated Press on Wednesday and called it an accident. The cause of the collapse was under investigation. It was first reported on Tuesday in a Ministry of Mines statement that estimated “several” miners dead. Mali is Africa’s third-largest gold producer. Such tragedies are common in the country.