Rescue operations near Stilfontein, South Africa, have recovered at least nine bodies and saved more than two dozen illegal miners from an abandoned gold mine, with efforts ongoing to reach potentially many more people still trapped underground.
On Monday, a professional rescue company deployed a large cage to retrieve individuals from the mine shaft, located about 140 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg.
Illegal mining is widespread in South Africa, a mineral-rich nation, with thousands of miners, many from other countries, working in abandoned shafts.
Authorities initiated a crackdown in November to clear illegal miners from the Stilfontein shaft, but the exact number of people remaining underground is uncertain. Police estimate hundreds could still be trapped, although earlier claims suggested as many as 4,000 people might have been underground.
Community leader Johannes Qankase reported that 26 people were rescued on Monday, alongside the recovery of nine bodies. “They are very sick. They are very dehydrated. You can see they are nearly dying,” Qankase said of the survivors, most of whom were taken to hospital. Two were reportedly in police custody.
Rescue efforts continued Tuesday, with government officials expected to visit the site. However, authorities have faced accusations of attempting to force miners to surface by cutting off food and water supplies lowered to them by the local community.
The government announced Monday that over 1,000 people involved in illegal mining activities in the area had “surfaced and been apprehended” since the crackdown began.
Video footage released by miners’ rights groups showed several corpses wrapped in plastic near the mine shaft. AFP journalists observed body bags being removed from the cage of the rescue equipment on Monday.
Six bodies were recovered in early December, with one more found in November. Recent reports claim there may be over 100 corpses underground.
Those who have emerged described harsh conditions in the mine, including severe hunger and dehydration. Some of the miners have been detained for lacking proper documentation to be in South Africa.
Known locally as “zama zamas,” meaning “those who try” in Zulu, illegal miners are often accused of criminal activities by residents and face resistance from mining companies frustrated by their operations.
