Khartoum, Sept. 16 (SANA)At least 67 people were killed and others remained missing after a gold mine collapsed inSudan’sWest Kordofanstate, a medical group and survivors said, as rescuers searched for people trapped beneath the rubble.

The collapse occurred late Tuesday at the al-Zara gold mine near the town of Nuhud, the Associated Press reported Wednesday.

Survivors said people remained trapped in several mine shafts, while machinery needed to remove collapsed soil and rubble was not readily available.

A medical group said the death toll could rise as search and rescue operations continued.

The mine is in a remote area of West Kordofan controlled by the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces (RSF), which has been fighting Sudan’s military for more than three years.

Sudan is a major gold producer, but mine collapses are frequent amid poor safety standards. Fifteen people were killed in July when a gold mine collapsed in the Wadi Halfa area of northern Sudan.