South African officials have retrieved the bodies of nine illegal miners from a disused mine in North West province as part of ongoing rescue operations at the Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said the rescue effort brought 35 illegal miners to the surface on Monday, including the nine deceased.
“All illegal miners are processed to determine their nationality and their immigration status and once that is done they are detained in police cells,” Mathe said.
Those requiring medical care have been taken to health facilities, she said.
The Stilfontein mine saga has been a long-running issue, with more than 1,500 people involved in illegal mining surfacing and being apprehended to date.
The mine has been a hotspot for illegal mining activities, leading to numerous arrests and ongoing rescue operations.
The Buffelsfontein gold mine has seen a significant number of illegal miners risking their lives to extract gold from the abandoned shafts.
The South African government has been working to address the issue but the dangerous conditions and the sheer number of illegal miners have made it a challenging task.
JN/APA