South African authorities have made a grim discovery, retrieving 60 bodies from an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, approximately 150 kilometers from Johannesburg, following a months-long siege aimed at curbing illegal mining operations.
The recovery operation, which began on Monday, involves using a metal cage to bring both survivors and bodies up from over two kilometers underground. By Tuesday night, authorities had recovered 51 bodies, adding to the nine found the previous day.
The siege started in August when authorities cut off food and water supplies to force illegal miners to surface. So far, 132 survivors have been arrested, with 106 apprehended on Tuesday alone.
South African Police Minister Senzo Mchunu acknowledged uncertainty about the exact number of people still trapped underground, as there was no way to track how many had entered the mine illegally.
The crackdown, part of an operation dubbed "Close the Hole," represents the government's response to illegal mining, which Mining Minister Gwede Mantashe described as "a war on the economy." Industry estimates suggest these unauthorized operations cost South Africa hundreds of millions of dollars annually in lost sales, taxes, and royalties.
The practice typically targets abandoned mines deemed no longer commercially viable for large-scale operations, where unlicensed miners attempt to extract remaining minerals.
While the government maintains the siege was necessary to combat illegal mining activities, local residents and rights groups have voiced criticism over the methods employed in the crackdown.
The recovery operation is expected to continue for several days as authorities work to reach any remaining survivors or recover additional bodies from the mine shaft.