(MENAFN) At least 50 individuals lost their lives following the collapse of a gold mining site in northeastern Sudan, according to local media coverage on Sunday.

The incident took place on Saturday within the Howaid desert region, situated in Nile River State, a newspaper reported.

Eyewitnesses revealed that massive amounts of earth and rock gave way, burying workers operating at an informal site notorious for its uncontrolled mining practices.

Efforts to rescue those trapped were significantly obstructed by the lack of specialized equipment and the absence of trained emergency personnel, which delayed the recovery of many of the deceased, the witnesses further noted.

An almost identical incident took place at this very site two months earlier, resulting in injuries.

This most recent disaster has reignited public criticism surrounding inadequate government supervision and the fragile infrastructure common in small-scale mining zones.

Thousands of individuals toil under perilous conditions at such sites, often without official guidelines or enforced safety protections.

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