In the west of Mali, at least 48 people, mostly women, died last Saturday in a tragic incident at an illegal gold mining site. The event took place in Bilalkoto, a small village in the commune of Dabia within the Kayes region.
According to eyewitnesses, a machine from the company Caterpillar collapsed onto a small-scale mine where a group of women was extracting gold. "48 women died immediately," confirmed a local official, adding that around 10 seriously injured individuals were transferred to a nearby hospital for medical attention.
The official, who preferred to remain anonymous when speaking with Xinhua, noted the difficulty in establishing an accurate number of victims, as the figure could rise due to the severity of some injuries. Rescue operations are still underway in the area of the accident.
This tragic incident has generated shock and concern in the region, highlighting the precarious working conditions in these informal mining sites, which endanger the lives of those who work in them.
