Rescue teams have successfully extracted both survivors and bodies from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, where a growing crisis has left many feared dead and hundreds still trapped, Cape {town} Etc reports.
As the operation continues, authorities are racing against time to save those still underground.
The incident unfolded at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, located near Stilfontein, roughly 140 kilometres southwest of Johannesburg.
On Monday, a specialised cage was lowered into the mine shaft, retrieving seven survivors, according to Mzukisi Jam of the South African National Civics Organisation (SANCO). This comes after another successful operation brought 26 people to safety.
As the rescue effort intensifies, police and rescuers are still working to confirm the number of fatalities, with reports suggesting that at least 100 miners may have already perished. Authorities are focusing on bringing all remaining survivors to the surface.
However, the mine has been a site of tension, with miners resisting exit due to fears of arrest after an earlier crackdown by authorities.
The miners, many of whom had once worked in the now-defunct mine, had been using ropes and pulleys to access the depths.
However, police had dismantled these systems, trapping them underground. According to Sabelo Mnguni of Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA), the miners were left without escape options, facing extreme conditions in the 2km-deep shaft.
In a tragic twist, videos taken by miners sent to the surface recently revealed numerous bodies wrapped in plastic bags, hinting that the miners may have died from starvation or dehydration. Authorities are unsure of the exact number of trapped individuals, but estimates suggest that hundreds remain stuck underground.
Back in November of last year, a rescue operation commenced to bring miners to the surface, and their was a standoff between the police and illegal gold miners in which the police cut off food and water in an attempt to force them out.
In November of the same year, the SA Human Rights Commission (SAHRC) investigated an allegation by a community member of Stilfontein. The allegation was that police were denying the miners of food, medication and water which could have been the possible cause of death for some of the illegal miners.
’It is alleged that these actions have, or could, result in the loss of lives, infringing upon the miners’ right to life as enshrined in section 11 of the Constitution. The commission has also received a formal complaint from a community leader in Stilfontein, echoing some of the reported claims,’ a statement by the SAHRC read.
The desperate situation highlights the ongoing issue of illegal mining in South Africa, particularly in areas where former mining operations have been shut down, leaving workers with few alternatives but to enter abandoned sites.
Although some groups of miners, known as ‘zama zamas,’ are involved in illegal and dangerous activities, Mnguni stressed that many of the trapped individuals are former employees left without work, driven by poverty and desperation.
Despite the harrowing conditions, the rescue operation is determined to continue. The cage used for the rescue is capable of reaching depths up to 3km, and the operation is expected to last up to 16 days.
In December, MACUA won a court case demanding that authorities provide food, water, and medical supplies to the trapped miners.
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Picture: Reuters
