South African police said 14 suspected illegal miners were killed when a mine dump site collapsed on Monday night.
Eight others were injured and authorities warned that an unknown number may still be trapped underground.
The site was legally operated by a mining company but police said most of the miners, believed to be undocumented nationals from neighbouring Lesotho, had gained access illegally.
Known locally as zama zamas — “those who try their luck” in Zulu — illegal miners often risk their lives in abandoned shafts or dump sites.
Police however said on Wednesday that search operations at the collapsed dump site have ceased although investigations continue.
Fatal accidents are common: in January 2025, 78 bodies were recovered from a disused shaft in Stilfontein following a police crackdown on illicit mining.
JN/APA