At least 100 people who were trapped in a South African mine have died, a group representing them has said.
They were illegally mining in an abandoned gold mine and have been engaged in a lengthy standoff with authorities who had cut off their food, water and supplies in an attempt to "smoke them out".
Illegal mining has flourished in South Africa in recent decades as many industrial mines have been exhausted. Analysts estimate there are about 30,000 “zama zama” illegal miners producing 10% of South Africa’s gold output in 6,000 abandoned mineshafts, often controlled by violent criminal syndicates.
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Officials have claimed the men are hiding underground to avoid arrest, pointing out that about 1,500 people have emerged from another mine shaft in the area.
“We don’t believe they are trapped, because other ones … have come out,”
Nine bodies were recovered in a community-led operation on Friday, he said. Another nine were recovered in an official rescue operation by authorities on Monday, when 26 survivors were also brought out
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“The shaft is 2km (1.2 miles) deep.
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Large groups of illegal miners often go underground for months to maximise profits