Body Recovery and Rescue Operation Underway at Illegal Gold Mine in South Africa

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A rescue operation at a disused illegal gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, has so far resulted in the recovery of 36 bodies, while 82 individuals have been rescued alive. The operation was initiated following police actions in October aimed at dismantling illegal mining activities, which led to severe shortages of food, water, and medical supplies for those trapped underground.

Authorities assert that approximately 109 individuals are believed to have died and that between 400 and 800 miners may still be trapped. These estimates emerged after a letter surfaced alleging the deaths of numerous miners. Videos released by NGOs depict emaciated miners begging for supplies and showing bodies laid out in tunnels.

Since the police instituted Operation Vala Umgodi in late 2023 to combat illegal mining, they claimed to have forced hundreds of miners to surface due to starvation. However, the government maintained that those who remained underground were attempting to evade arrest.

The rescue operation, which may take up to 16 days to complete, is being managed by a private company equipped with a crane-winched cage that can extract a limited number of miners per hour. Local volunteers are currently carrying out the descent into the 1.2-mile deep shaft, as it is deemed too risky for state or private workers due to reports of armed zama zama miners.

The ongoing crisis highlights the growing prevalence of illegal mining across South Africa's north-eastern region, where an estimated 30,000 zama zama miners operate, contributing to 10% of the nation's gold output from abandoned mineshafts.

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