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An airstrike hit gold-mining sites in the Shimal el-Wadi area of Sudan's Red Sea state near the Egyptian border, with a Sudanese rights group saying 72 miners were killed and many others wounded, according to claims reported on the day of the attack.

Emergency Lawyers, a Sudanese human rights organization, said the mining areas were targeted from the air and warned that the death toll could rise because verification work is difficult in the area, where transport conditions are poor. The Sudan Doctors Network also reported deaths and injuries on the US-based social media platform X.

Sudanese media reported that warplanes fired more than five missiles at the site, destroying workers' shelters and causing mine shafts to collapse with miners trapped underneath. The wounded were taken to health centers in Haya and Port Sudan in Red Sea state, Atbara in River Nile state, and the Al-Ensari area. No official statement has been issued on who carried out the attack.

Key Takeaways

• A rights group said 72 miners died in an airstrike on gold-mining sites in Red Sea state, with the toll feared to rise.
• Media reports said warplanes fired more than five missiles, collapsing shelters and mine shafts with workers trapped inside.
• Sudan's Sovereignty Council formed an investigation committee including prosecution, judiciary and security representatives.