Word came in from far-off Sudan about a terrible disaster at a remote gold mine that collapsed, leaving 82 bodies recovered so far and many more still missing. Out in places like that where people go just to scrape by, safety standards practically don't exist. When the tunnel caved in, there wasn't even proper heavy machinery around—rescue efforts had to rely on a single private forklift to dig through the debris.
Local media reported that the ill-fated mine is tucked away in a remote corner of West Kordofan State, completely unregulated. Rescuers on the ground were scrambling desperately, but with such a severe shortage of equipment, the search dragged on at a crawl. Add in the ongoing civil war and widespread hunger, and this tragedy of ordinary folks digging in the dirt just to survive makes your heart heavy.
Sitting under a ceiling fan at a Phnom Penh teahouse reading news like this, you really feel that just being able to eat a quiet bowl of noodles in peace is a blessing. With that war dragging on for years, ordinary people can barely hold onto their lives, let alone their safety. Chasing a few scraps of silver into these illegal, unmanaged shafts often ends with families struggling just to recover a body. Down on the street, people can't help shaking their heads—making a living out here is never easy.
