60 bodies recovered from gold mine in northern South Africa

The Police rescue and arrest more than a hundred people for irregularly participating in mining activities

Jan. 15 (EUROPA PRESS) –

The South African authorities confirmed this Wednesday the recovery of 60 bodies in a gold mine in the town of Stilfontein, located in the Northwest province (north), from which more than a hundred survivors have also been removed.

The Police have indicated that during the day on Tuesday 51 bodies were recovered, a figure that is added to the nine rescued on Monday, before adding that the 106 rescued have been arrested for participating in “illegal” mining activities, as reported by the South African newspaper ‘The Times’.

The gold mine, which is abandoned, is the center of an operation by the South African security forces since August to confront the irregular exploitation of resources in the area, to which the Police Ministers have traveled during the day. and Energy, Senzo Mchunu and Gwede Mantashe.

Thus, the spokesperson for the South African Police, Athlenda Mathe, has detailed that among those detained in Stilfontein there are 67 Mozambicans, 26 Lesothos, eleven Zimbabweans and two South Africans, before adding that between August 2024 and January 12, when it began During this rescue operation, more than 1,575 people were arrested for “illegal” mining.

Mathe has specified that, of the total number of detainees, more than 1,500 remain in custody, while 121 have already been deported to their countries of origin. In addition, he stressed that security forces have seized material used for these irregular mining activities in Stilfontein, an old mining town.

At the moment the number of people still inside the mine is unknown, although it is feared that the death toll may be higher.

South African authorities have in the past defended their operations against illegal mining, centered on the activities of miners – known as ‘zama zamas’ – who operate mainly in closed or disused mines, arguing that it is a detriment to the national economy. , although activists have criticized police action in this operation, called ‘Close the Hole’.