In South Africa, an illegal mine resulted in the recovery of 78 fatalities and 246 survivors

The police announced on Wednesday night that a total of 246 survivors and 78 carcasses have been recovered from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa after a three-day rescue operation.

The South African Police Service (SAPS) announced in a statement released at 8:00 p.m. on Wednesday that 246 illicit miners had been apprehended and rescued from the underground since the rescue operation at the Stilfontein mine in the North West Province began on Monday. The number of victims recovered was 78, which is consistent with the previous update issued at 4:00 p.m.

SAPS national spokesperson Athlenda Mathe stated to Xinhua, “We are unable to confirm whether the operation has been terminated at this time.”

After volunteers involved in the rescue operation informed the media that there were no more survivors or corpses underground, she made the remarks.

Mathe stated that the Mine Rescue Service, which has been responsible for the operation in Stilfontein, will dispatch a cage underground on Thursday morning “to determine whether any illegal miners resurface with the cage.”

“We will depend on the Mine Rescue Service to verify this information using their cutting-edge equipment.” She elaborated, “That will hopefully provide us with a clearer understanding of the underground situation.” “We have indicated that as the SAPS, we have to verify this.”

The spokesperson also stated that the police would provide additional information regarding the rescue operation on Thursday morning.

Since August 2024, when small groups of illicit miners began emerging from the disused mine shafts in Stilfontein, the situation has been evolving. According to previous police statements, at least 1,576 illicit miners have been apprehended and brought to the surface since that time, with the majority of them being foreign nationals from neighboring countries.

Illegal foreign miners have reopened numerous gold mines in South Africa that were closed for decades due to declining production.