(MENAFN) At least 50 people have died following the collapse of a gold mine in northeastern Sudan, according to local reports on Sunday.

The incident occurred Saturday in the Howaid desert, located in Nile River State, where artisanal mining is common and largely unregulated, as reported by regional media outlets.

Eyewitnesses described how massive amounts of sand and rock caved in on miners working at the site, a location previously noted for unsafe mining practices. They said that the rescue operation was severely delayed due to the lack of heavy equipment and trained emergency personnel, making the recovery of bodies from the debris slow and difficult.

Reports also noted that this was not the first such incident at the site — a similar collapse took place just two months ago, resulting in injuries.

The disaster has sparked renewed criticism of the government's failure to properly regulate artisanal mining operations. Many of these sites lack basic safety measures, despite employing thousands of workers in dangerous conditions with little oversight or infrastructure.

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