Rescuers pulled more bodies from a disused gold shaft in South Africa, with the death toll reaching 78 by Wednesday as police worked to clear out illegal miners who had been underground for months.
The operation began on Monday after residents expressed fears that over 100 people had died in the mine in Stilfontein, around 140 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg.
In the first three days, at least 216 people were rescued, while 78 bodies were retrieved, according to police.
All 84 miners rescued on Wednesday were arrested, police confirmed.
The mine, which runs 2.6 kilometres underground, uses a specialised machine to bring miners and bodies to the surface in small groups.
These miners, known as “zama zamas” (meaning “those who try” in Zulu), are often migrants from neighbouring countries, and some are accused of criminal activity.
Police have expressed concerns that hundreds more miners could still be underground, but Police Minister Senzo Mchunu declined to estimate how many might remain.
A video sent to AFP by Macua, an advocacy group for miners, appeared to show dozens of corpses wrapped in cloth in the mine.
Illegal miners had taken control of the shaft, once part of South Africa’s commercial mining industry, hoping to find gold.
Minerals Minister Gwede Mantashe, visiting the site on Tuesday, described the miners as “foot soldiers” working for those who profit from the illegal trade.
Since August, over 1,500 illegal miners have been arrested at Stilfontein, with 121 deported. Forty-six others have been convicted of illegal mining, trespassing, and immigration offences, facing fines or prison sentences.
Police also confiscated gold, explosives, and firearms during the operation.
Authorities had tried cutting off food and water supplies to force the miners out, but a court order in November reversed these restrictions, allowing supplies to be delivered to those underground.
