Police say the bodies of 93 people believed to be illegal miners retrieved from a disused mine in Stilfontein in the North West last year are yet to be identified. This comes after post-mortems conducted on all the bodies revealed that some died of starvation, while others died of lung infections. In August last year, police descended on
Police say the bodies of 93 people believed to be illegal miners retrieved from a disused mine in Stilfontein in the North West last year are yet to be identified.
This comes after post-mortems conducted on all the bodies revealed that some died of starvation, while others died of lung infections.
In August last year, police descended on the mine through Operation Vala Umgodi, cutting off the illegal miners’ food and water supply.
Officers also arrested those who surfaced.
Since the inception of the operation in December 2023, more than 18 000 suspects have been arrested.
Provincial police spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone elaborates on the stats.
“Nine (miners) were brought to the surface through a pulley system or rope by community volunteers between Tuesday 03 December 2024 and Thursday 09 January 2025. Seventy-eight were brought to the surface between Monday 13 and Wednesday 15 January 2025 during the mine rescue operation. Five suspected illegal miners died while admitted to hospitals between Monday 20 January and Wednesday 12 February 2025. Of this number, four resurfaced at Buffelsfontein shaft number 11 and one at Margaret shaft.”
Original Story by www.sabcnews.com
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