No more illegal miners trapped underground at South African gold mine, volunteers say

Johannesburg – Volunteers working with rescue teams have reported that there are no longer any illegal miners trapped underground at a gold mine in South Africa, following a tragic incident that has become one of the industry’s most extraordinary disasters.

Since Monday, at least 78 bodies have been recovered, and more than 200 survivors have been rescued, after a court ordered the government to facilitate rescue operations at the mine.

The BBC reports that authorities plan to confirm that no one remains trapped on Thursday, when a rescue cage will be sent down into the mine.

The stand-off began in November when the South African government ordered police to arrest any illegal miners who surfaced, signaling its determination to put an end to illegal mining activities.

During a visit on Tuesday, South Africa’s police and mines ministers were confronted by an angry crowd who blamed the government for the deaths, demanding that they leave.

Police reported that over 1,500 miners had emerged from the mine before the official rescue operation commenced.

However, some miners remained underground, either fearing arrest or being forced to stay by the gangs controlling the mine.

In response to the volunteers’ claims that no one was still underground, a South African Police Service spokesperson said, “We will rely on the Mine Rescue Service to confirm this with their state-of-the-art equipment, which should provide a clear picture of the situation underground.”

“The Mine Rescue Service has confirmed they will send the cage underground in the morning to see if any illegal miners surface with it. However, we cannot say for certain that the operation has been called off at this stage,” the spokesperson added.

Authorities have stated that those involved in illegal mining will face charges of trespassing, illegal mining, and violating immigration laws, as the majority of the miners are undocumented migrants from neighboring countries.

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