Six people have died and 20 people are suspected to be trapped when a gold mine collapsed in the northern region of Sudan, officials said on Saturday.

According to the Executive Director of Berber Local Authority, Hassan Ibrahim Karar, the accident occurred on Friday at a gold mine in the western Um Aud area of ​​Berber town in River Nile State.

'Efforts are continuing to rescue the trapped people,' said Karar, 'although no specific information was given about the cause of the mine collapse.'

Due to the ongoing war in Sudan since April 2023 between the military and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces, both sides have largely financed their struggle from the country's gold industry.

According to officials and NGOs, most of Sudan's gold trade is exported through the United Arab Emirates, which has faced accusations of supplying weapons to the Rapid Support Force, a charge the Emirates denies.

Despite the war, the military-backed government announced a record 64 tonnes of gold production in 2024.

But most of the gold here is extracted from raw mines and small-scale mining operations, where the lack of safety measures and the use of dangerous chemicals pose serious risks to the health of miners and the surrounding communities.

Sudan's war has put more than 2.5 million people at high risk of starvation. According to experts, most of the gold produced by both sides of the war goes through Chad, South Sudan and Egypt to the United Arab Emirates, now the world's second largest gold exporter.