Khalid Al Dahwe, director of the state-owned Sudanese Mineral Resources Company, told CNN on Tuesday that there were 36 people in the gold mine at the time of Sunday’s crash. He said one person survived.
Al Dahwe said authorities were still searching for a 20-metre (66-foot) site for the bodies.
“The company specifies a certain depth for miners to dig gold wells, but they do not comply with these restrictions,” Al Dahwe said.
Gold is Sudan’s most valuable export, with mining being its largest industry.
According to the latest government figures, more than two million miners work in more than 800 locations across the country.
Independent gold mining has been on the rise in Sudan since 2011, when South Sudan broke away from Sudan – taking most of the country’s oil revenue with it.