Officials and local sources say at least 48 people have died after an illegally-operated gold mine collapsed in western Mali. Mali is one of the major gold producing countries in Africa. Accidents are frequent in Mali's gold mining sites.

Authorities are struggling to control illegal mining of the precious metal in one of the world's poorest countries. "The death toll from the landslide has reached 48," a police official said, "some victims have fallen into the water." Among them there was a woman with a child on her back.'

The local authorities have confirmed that the mine collapsed and said that the search for the victims is continuing. According to sources, Saturday's accident happened in a mine previously operated by a Chinese company. 

In January, a landslide in a gold mine in southern Mali killed at least 10 people. Many had disappeared. Most of them were women. Last year, more than 70 people died when a gold mine tunnel collapsed in the same area as the Saturday landslide.