Nine bodies of illegal miners recovered from disused Stilfontein mine

Rescue operations are under way to free trapped illegal miners.

2 minutes

The bodies of illegal mineworkers have been brought to the surface from a disused mine in Stilfontein in the North West.

Twenty-six illegal miners have also been brought out of two shafts of the disused mine. This follows a government-led operation.

The Mineral Resources and Police departments said in a statement that those brought to the surface are being inspected for illicit items such as gold nuggets and firearms.

Paramedics will then assess them and take those who are not in good health to hospital.

#PoliceMinistry [STILFONTEIN #IllegalMining]
The Ministries of Police and Mineral Resources and Energy will visit Stilfontein today, 14 January 2025, following the commencement of operations aimed at ensuring that all illegal miners resurface. This follows the implementation of… pic.twitter.com/HW8H5zQtyH

— SA Police Service 🇿🇦 (@SAPoliceService) January 14, 2025

Furthermore, the Police are also investigating allegations that the food that was sent down and kept from illegal mine workers. Rescue operations are currently underway and will be between 10-16 days.

[WATCH]
Contrary to @macua_sa‘s claims, the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) has proactively finalized an agreement with Mine Rescue Services, and rescue operations are now in progress at the mine site,

[Read] Official statement:- pic.twitter.com/0nzwC0YfFc

— Department of Mineral Resources and Energy ‏ (@DMRE_ZA) January 12, 2025