By: Julie Li
On September 13th, 2026, the day of the Bills game, the al-Zara gold mine collapsed. However, some reports suggest the collapse occurred on Tuesday September 15th, 2026. The al-Zara gold mine is located in Nuhud, West Kordofan, Sudan, a region engulfed in war with the country’s military for the past three years. As of right now, there are reports of 67 deaths, although other reports have put the number as high as 82. With many more people missing and 50 wounded, these numbers could climb higher.
However, Sudan is a major gold producing country, and due to poor safety standards, mine collapses are more common. This is similar to the events in 2023 and 2021, which claimed a total of 52 lives.
The lack of proper safety equipment and emergency rescue systems ultimately led to these disasters. These are some of the dangerous conditions miners face . Since the al-Zara gold mine was made up of many interconnected shafts, the fall of one could cause others to fall as well. When rescue teams showed up, progress was further delayed by all the heavy equipment and machinery.
According to The Chief, survivors reported, “We do not have the machinery to lift dirt and stones and search for survivors at depths of more than 30 meters (98 feet),” said Khairal-Sayed Gabara, one of the survivors. “There were dozens of people working in the mine.” He also said the collapse was “massive,” and that machinery needed to remove the collapsed soil and rubble was not available. Another survivor said 60 bodies had been recovered as of Wednesday morning. “There are still people stuck inside,” he said.
It is also said that large amounts of gold has been smuggled out to support the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF) . A group that has been part of the all-out war with the Sudanese military since April 2023. The conflict alone has killed at least 59,000 people, according to the Armed Conflict Location & Event Data. Aid organizations say that the figure is an undercount, and the true number could be many times higher