By Fatma Esma Arslan
DAKAR, Senegal (AA) – An informal gold mine collapsed in western Guinea, claiming at least 18 lives, authorities said Thursday.
Government spokesman Ousmane Gaoual Diallo said the accident took place Monday in Kounsitel, about 380 kilometers (236 miles) from the capital Conakry.
Diallo said search and rescue operations are continuing.
Some 15 people were killed in a similar incident last May at an artisanal gold mine in the northeast of the country.