At least 48 people died today when an illegal gold mine in Mali collapsed, Agence France-Presse reported, quoted by BTA.
"According to information received by 6:00 p.m. last night, the number of victims of the collapse is at least 48", announced the police in the African country, quoted by AFP.
Some of the dead drowned in a river they were swept into by the landslide. Among these victims are a woman and her baby, which she was carrying on her back, the authorities said in a statement. Most of the victims are women.
Such tragedies are a recurring phenomenon in Mali and West Africa in general, AFP notes.