Camille Naredo

An illegal miner rescued from an abandoned gold mine is assisted by rescuers and South African Police Service (SAPS) officers in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025. Christian Velcich, AFP

An illegal miner rescued from an abandoned gold mine is assisted by rescuers and South African Police Service (SAPS) officers in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025. More than two dozen illegal miners have been rescued and at least 15 bodies recovered from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, as operations continued on January 14, 2025 to reach potentially dozens more people who have been underground for months. (Photo by Christian Velcich / AFP)

Article (news)

SOUTH AFRICA

Agence France-Presse

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1736866445850AFP__20250114__36TU8QR__v1__HighRes__SafricaMining.jpg" style="width:960px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="An illegal miner rescued from an abandoned gold mine is assisted by rescuers and South African Police Service (SAPS) officers in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025. Christian Velcich, AFP"/>An illegal miner rescued from an abandoned gold mine is assisted by rescuers and South African Police Service (SAPS) officers in Stilfontein on January 14, 2025. Christian Velcich, AFP</div>STILFONTEIN, South Africa -- Over two dozen illegal miners were rescued and at least 15 bodies recovered from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, as operations continued for a second day Tuesday to reach more people who have been underground for months.This brings the death toll to 24 since August, when authorities began driving out clandestine miners at the site near Stilfontein, about 140 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, police Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili told journalists at the scene.Some 1,500 people have voluntarily left the shaft, a police spokesperson earlier told local press.&quot;They are very sick. They are very dehydrated. You can see they are nearly dying,&quot; community leader Johannes Qankase told AFP on Tuesday.A professional mine rescue company on Monday set up a machine called a Rescue Winder to reach the miners through a rough hole in the ground.Police say hundreds could still be underground but the exact number is unclear.Thousands of illegal miners, many from other countries, are said to operate in abandoned shafts across South Africa.The country boasts some of the deepest gold mines in the world, extending kilometres underground, according to the Minerals Council South Africa.After reaching the surface, many of the miners were taken to hospital while two were believed to be in police custody, Qankase said.Police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe told AFP that six bodies were recovered Tuesday, in addition to nine that Qankase said were removed the day before.Government officials visited the site on Tuesday as the recovery continued.Authorities have been accused of trying to force the miners to surface by throttling food and water supplies lowered to them by the surrounding community.A court ordered in November that police must end all restrictions at the shaft, allowing people above ground to resume lowering food and water to those below.There were claims in mid-November that up to 4,000 people were underground but police have said the figure was probably in the hundreds.A video released by two miners&#x27; rights groups Monday showed what appeared to be several corpses wrapped in plastic at the shaft.<div>- Dire conditions -</div><script data-wid="auto" type="text/javascript" src="https://content.viralize.tv/display/?zid=AAEyze-tm4MR6kEa&amp;cid=ABTC7TEyEnvS3Ncz&amp;activation=click&amp;vip_mode=playing&amp;vip_position=bottom-right"></script>AFP journalists at the site Monday filmed what appeared to be several body bags being removed from the cage.Six bodies were brought up from the mine in early December and one in November. There have been claims that more than 100 corpses remain underground.Over the past weeks, miners who have exited the shaft reported dire conditions underground, including acute hunger and dehydration. Some were arrested for being in South Africa without proper documentation.Locally known as &quot;zama zamas&quot; -- &quot;those who try&quot; in the Zulu language -- illegal miners frustrate mining companies and are often accused of criminality by residents.<div>© Agence France-Presse</div>

Over two dozen illegal miners were rescued and at least 15 bodies recovered from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, as operations continued for a second day Tuesday to reach more people who have been underground for months.

Over two dozen illegal miners were rescued and at least 15 bodies recovered from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, as operations continued for a second day Tuesday to reach more people who have been underground for months.

Dozens rescued, 15 bodies pulled from South Africa mine

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Dozens rescued, 15 bodies pulled from South Africa mine

Agence France-Presse

Published Jan 15, 2025 12:48 AM PHT

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South Africa

illegal mining

Stilfontein

gold mine

Minerals Council South Africa

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