Dozens including women killed in collapse happymamay

More than 40 people, most of them women, were killed, after a illegal gold mine collapsed in Mali on Saturday.

The collapse took place near Kéniéba, in the western -rich gold region.

The victims rose to open areas left by industrial miners to find gold scraps when the land around them was heading.

This is Mali A second killer mining accident in three weeksAfter killing at least 10 people when the mining tunnel was immersed in late January.

There are conflicting reports on the number of people who died in the Saturday accident.

A local police source told News Agency to Agence France Presse that 48 people were killed in the collapse, while the President of the Industry Federation told Reuters that there were 43 victims.

“Some of the victims have fallen into the water. Among them is a woman with her child on her back,” a local police source told AFP.

The local sources told the BBC that rescue workers managed to recover the bodies.

Mali is one of the largest gold producers in the world.

Accidents are common in the country as mining activity is not organized, as mining workers use unsafe ways of drilling for gold.

A little more than a year ago, At least 40 people were killed after a tunnel collapsed In a mine.

It is also common for illegal miners – most of whom are women – try to restore gold from abandoned sites due to poverty.

A spokesman for the country mines told Reuters that the accident occurred between the cities of Keniba and Dabaia, but he refused to provide more details.

The Ministry’s teams submit a report at the scene, according to Reuters reports.

The collapse took place on Saturday at a abandoned location, which was previously run by a Chinese company, according to Agence France Presse.

Beijing invests heavily in developing mining industries in Mali, with the approval of its government.

Since Mali is rich in natural resources, including gold, iron ore, manganese, lehium and uranium, it is an attractive destination for Chinese investors.

While such an investment has improved the infrastructure of Mali, especially in the transportation sector, the government has collected significant debts towards China, which raised concerns about its ability to pay loans.

Chinese mining activities have also been criticized to contribute to environmental pollution in the country.

Mali is currently participating in a dispute over the participation of revenues with one of the largest mining companies in the country, Canadian company Barrick.

Last month, the financial government seized gold bars worth 245 million dollars (194 million pounds) from Barrick and issued an arrest warrant for its CEO, Mark Presto.

Mr. Presto said it was “no doubt” that the conflict will be resolved in an interview with Bloomberg this week.