34 more bodies of illegal miners recovered from abandoned gold mine in South Africa

Rescuers recovered 34 more bodies of illegal miners on Tuesday from an abandoned gold mine near Stilfontein, about 140 kilometers (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, where they were hiding out for fear of being arrested by police during a crackdown on illegal mining.

With the nine bodies retrieved on Monday, the total number of bodies recovered from the mine has risen to 43, with 91 others rescued, the General Industries Workers Union of South Africa (GIWUSA) said in a report seen by Anadolu.

GIWUSA) said 65 illegal miners were brought to the surface alive on Tuesday, while 26 were rescued the day before.

Late last year, hundreds of illegal miners went into hiding in the Stilfontein mine, fearing arrest, but police cut off food and water supplies to force them to the surface.

South African police launched Operation Vala Umgodi, also known as Close the Hole, in December 2023 and arrested over 13,000 illegal miners.

Illegal mining has been a major issue in South Africa for decades, with dozens of people risking their lives every day to enter disused mines and scrap for remaining precious metals.

Many people claim that poverty and unemployment drive them to take risks. Meanwhile, violent criminal syndicates are thought to control some of the illegal mines.

On Monday, two grim videos emerged online showing the bodies of several trapped illegal miners, including corpses wrapped in makeshift body bags and emaciated men beneath the mine.

There are claims that there could be 109 bodies underground, but government officials have not confirmed this. The exact number of illegal miners underground is currently unknown.

"For days now, we have been receiving footage from underground where the miners are located, which paints a very dire situation," Mametlwe Sebei, GIWUSA president and a human rights lawyer, told reporters in the town of Stilfontein on Monday.

Sebei described what occurred at the mine as a massacre, saying the pile of miners' bodies demonstrates how the government failed them.

The rescue mission, which was delayed by two months, is expected to continue for 10 days.