An estimated 4,000 illegal miners are still trapped underground at an unused mine in Stilfontein, North West province of South Africa, with rescue operations currently suspended due to heavy rains, provincial police announced on Wednesday.
In a phone interview with Xinhua, North West police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone said that the community-led rescue efforts would resume once the weather clears.
Mokgwabone explained that the situation began on November 2, when over 50 illegal miners emerged from the relatively "safe" Margaret shaft, reporting that others were still underground.
He noted that the trapped miners, currently estimated to be around 4,000, were in other unused and "dangerous" mine shafts far from the Margaret shaft.
"We are still at the shaft. It's raining hard and the operations have stopped for now," Mokgwabone said.
The spokesperson added that some community members went underground on Tuesday using a rope, where they observed thousands of miners, along with several bodies. They provided food and water to the trapped miners. Police and medical personnel were also present at the scene.
Mokgwabone further stated that the 55 illegal miners who recently resurfaced were apprehended for violating the Immigration Act and engaging in illegal mining.
Police in provinces such as North West, Gauteng, and the Free State have been clamping down on illegal miners who over the years have invaded disused and closed gold mines. These illegal miners, often from Lesotho and Zimbabwe, are in search of gold.
Thousands have been arrested since the launch of Operation Vala Umgodi against illegal mining.
Xinhua