At least 78 individuals have now reportedly perished following the enforcement of a blockade on an illicit gold mine, amid a protracted confrontation between prospectors and a government intent on compelling them to emerge—frequently by severing their access to food and water.
Since the commencement of the comprehensive recovery operation on Monday, workers have successfully retrieved 246 miners alive.
The survivors faced charges of trespassing and more offenses, resulting in their detention or transport for medical care.
The prospectors were confined underground for several months while police, following directives from the South African government, endeavored to force them out of the abandoned Buffelsfontein gold mine, which reaches around 8,000 feet beneath the surface.
The operation was a component of the police’s “Close the Hole” initiative aimed at addressing illegal mining, a significant issue in South Africa, formerly the global gold-mining capital. The nation endures a 42% unemployment rate, prompting several unemployed individuals to resort to desperate tactics for survival.
The government has faced criticism from community residents in Stilfontein, located 100 miles southwest of Johannesburg, as well as from human rights organizations, for its practices and its delayed response.
On Monday, a South African miners’ rights organization disseminated video footage of what seemed to be numerous dead encased in plastic shrouds underground, alongside other miners who were alive yet malnourished and pleading for aid.
According to community residents and advocacy groups, several miners resorted to consuming a mixture of vinegar, toothpaste, and toilet paper while underground.
In August, law enforcement cordoned off access to the mines, obstructed food and water delivery, and deployed guards at the remaining openings to apprehend any miners attempting to surface.
Authorities announced late Wednesday that the two volunteer rescuers, who have been exploring the shaft to recover both survivors and deceased individuals, think that no one is now alive in the mine.
The police said that the rescuers intend to do a final sweep on Thursday morning before concluding the operation.
[READ MORE: Trump And China Engage in Major Discussion Ahead of Inauguration]
