Survivors
At least 78 bodies have been extracted in three days from an illegal gold mine in South Africa, where police are accused of cutting off food and water supplies for months to trapped miners.
Macabre discovery. At least 78 bodies and more than 200 survivors have been extracted since Monday from the Stilfontein mine, southwest of Johannesburg,
These illegal workers called “zama zamas” had been stuck in this gold pit for several months but feared being arrested when they left.
According to the police spokesperson, rescuers will continue to work on Thursday to ensure that all bodies and survivors have been found. Previously, there were fears that dozens or even hundreds more men could still be trapped.
The South African Federation of Trade Unions on Tuesday accused the state of allowing miners to starve to death in the depths of the earth.
“These miners, many of whom were undocumented and desperate workers from Mozambique and other southern African countries, have been abandoned and are dying in horrific repression as they desperately try to eke out a living.” he declared in a press release.
A total of 246 survivors, some emaciated and disoriented, were brought to the surface and immediately arrested for illegal mining and immigration.
Belgium
