Thirteen confirmed deaths and many more missing following collapse at gold mine in Zamfara State, Nigeria.

Thirteen people have been confirmed dead and as many as a hundred more may be trapped underground following a collapse at an artisanal gold mine (gold mine dug with traditional hand tools) at the village of Kadauri in Zamfara State, Nigeria, on Thursday 25 September 2025. Fifteen miners have been pulled from the mine alive since the incident, five of whom are reported to be suffering from a variety of injuries. The incident is thought to have been caused by heavy rains associated with the end of the West African Rainy Season, which can cause sediments to liquefy, destabilising mine pits.

The approximate location of the Kadauri Gold Mine. Google Maps.

West Africa has a distinct two season climatic cycle, with a cool dry season during the northern winter when prevalent winds blow from the Sahara to the northeast, and a warm rainy season during the northern summer when prevalent winds blow from the Atlantic Ocean to the southwest. These warm winds from the Atlantic are laden with moisture, which can be lost rapidly when the air encounters cooler conditions, such as when it is pushed up to higher altitudes by the Jos Plateau of central Nigeria and Shebshi Mountains on the border with Cameroon.

Rainfall and prevalent winds during the West African dry and rainy seasons. Encyclopaedia Britanica.

Informal artisanal mining is common in many parts of Africa, including Nigeria, which like may other countries has granted concessions to mining companies in areas where small-scale artisanal mining has traditionally helped to supplement the incomes of subsistence farmers. However, little of the money from such projects tends to reach local communities, which often leads to ill feeling and attempts to continue mining clandestinely, often at night or under other unfavourable conditions, which can put the miners at greater risk.

This is particularly problematic in areas such as Zamfara State, which has been badly impacted by the current political instability in the Sahel Region, with militias and bandit groups from both Nigeria and neighbouring states thought to be active in the region. These groups tend to see locally produced gold as a resource with which to fund their campaigns, leading to clashes between local and outside miners, some miners being forced to work in slave-like conditions to satisfy the demands of militia groups, and a general decline in safety in and around mines. Gold mines in Zamfara are also known to contain unusually high levels of lead, which has led to incidents of lead poisoning among miners and mining communities.

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