The number of death from last week’s accident at an artisanal gold mine in Mali has crossed 70, Mali’s Mines Chamber boss said on Thursday.
The accident happened on Friday inside an artisanal gold mining site in the Kangaba Cercle in Koulikoro Region, Southwest Mali.
The mines ministry said over 40 were killed on Wednesday but said that figure was provisional.
Leading a government delegation to the area on Thursday, the President of Mali’s Mines Chamber, Abdoulaye Pona said the death toll had risen to over 70, including one female.
The informal miners were digging at a site for which Toubani Resources has an exploration permit. Mines ministry spokesperson Baye Coulibaly said investigations are underway.
Toubani said the accident had occurred in an isolated area of its Kobada gold project concession, where it had not previously conducted any drilling.
In recent years, there has been a rise in artisanal mining activities across West Africa due to growing demand for metals and rising prices.
Artisanal miners often rely on unregulated digging methods, thereby exposing themselves to danger.