Reports state that over 100 miners perished from malnutrition or dehydration after spending months stranded in an abandoned shaft
A rescue mission is underway for hundreds of illegal miners thought to have been trapped for months in an abandoned shaft in South Africa, according to reports.
More than 100 people are believed to have died from starvation or dehydration, with at least 24 bodies and 34 survivors being brought out of the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in the town of Stilfontein since Friday, Jan. 10, per the Associated Press.
Mzukisi Jam, regional chairperson of the South African National Civics Organization, said, “We are happy that this (rescue) operation is happening, even though we believe that if it was done earlier, we wouldn’t even have one dead person.” This follows confirmation that six bodies and eight survivors had been recovered on Tuesday, Jan. 14, according to the news agency.
Over 500 miners are thought to still be underground, the AP reported.The Mining Affected Communities United in Action (MACUA) — which is a National Movement representing and advancing the rights and interests of mine-affected communities across South Africa — claimed that “more than 100 have died” in a Facebook post on Sunday, Jan. 12.
The MACUA took authorities to court in December “to force them to allow food, water and medicine to be sent down to the miners,” according to the AP.
Magnificent Mndebele, head of communication and media at the nonprofit organization, agreed with Jam’s comments in an email to PEOPLE.
Mndebele insisted that had the South African Police Service (SAPS) acted earlier to retrieve people, “no one would have died,” claiming the miners “had been trapped,” and not “deliberately refusing to come out.”
Mndebele added that MACUA estimates “the number of trapped [people] underground is somewhat between 400 to 900 miners,” and thanked the professional rescue service for being “incredibly helpful.”
A rescue mission is underway for the hundreds of illegal miners thought to still be underground in a disused shaft in South Africa
