Five killed, eight injured in Badakhshan gold mine collapse

A gold mine collapse in northeastern Afghanistan has killed five people and injured eight others, according to official statements. The incident occurred in the Owiz area of the Shahr-e Bozorg district in Badakhshan province after a mountain landslide trapped workers underground.

The Taliban Ministry of Defense confirmed the casualty figures and stated that rescue teams were deployed to the site. Emergency workers extracted survivors from the rubble and transported the injured to nearby medical facilities for treatment. Among the deceased were two children who were reportedly at the site when the collapse occurred.

Mining accidents remain a recurring hazard in Badakhshan, where informal extraction operations are widespread. Officials and industry observers have repeatedly pointed to inadequate safety standards, a lack of protective equipment, and limited regulatory oversight as primary drivers of the region’s high rate of mining-related fatalities. The informal nature of many local mining sites often leaves workers vulnerable to sudden geological shifts and structural failures.

Local authorities have launched an investigation into the circumstances surrounding the collapse. Rescue and recovery efforts at the site have been complicated by unstable terrain and ongoing aftershocks from the initial landslide. Provincial officials have urged communities to exercise caution in areas prone to geological instability, particularly as seasonal weather patterns continue to affect mountainous regions across the country.