At least 38 people were killed after a gold mine collapsed in West Kordofan State in southern Sudan, a government company announced in a statement on Tuesday.

"The general manager of the Sudanese Mineral Resources Company Limited eulogizes the death of 38 miners who died as a result of the collapse of Umm Draisaya mine," the statement read.

The mine is located near El Nuhud town in West Kordofan State, some 500 km west of Sudan's capital Khartoum.

The government of West Kordofan State and the state's security committee had previously announced the closure of the mine, citing its unsuitability for mining, the company said.

However, miners infiltrated the facility and restarted activities, it said.

About 2 million employees work in the traditional mining industry across Sudan, including the states of Red Sea, Nahr al-Neel, South Kordofan, West Kordofan and Northern.

According to official statistics, traditional mining contributes about 75 percent of the total gold production in Sudan, which exceeds 93 tons a year.