Khartoum, 28 December 2021 (dpa/MIA) - Twenty-three people have died in Sudan when a gold mine collapsed. Eight people were injured and were receiving treatment in hospital, a spokesman for the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company said on Tuesday. The accident occurred in the town of Al-Nuhud, in the West Kordofan region. The mine had been closed once before by the local authorities after a previous collapse but it was reopened again. The export of gold is of great importance for the East African nation. In 2018, Sudan exported 93 tons of gold. Many gold mines in the country are operated semi-legally and do not meet safety standards.