A rescue operation in a disused mineshaft in South Africa has recovered 78 bodies and over 240 illegal miners. The operation was launched to end illicit mining activities, but the recovery effort highlights the challenging conditions faced by these miners and the difficulties in identifying the deceased, many of whom are undocumented migrants.
It will be a "mammoth task" to identify the bodies brought up from a disused mineshaft in South Africa this week, a police spokesperson says.
During a visit on Tuesday, the police and mines ministers were insulted and told to leave by an angry crowd that blamed the government for the deaths.However, others remained underground, either because they feared arrest or were forced to stay there by gangs that control the mine. This includes the mine in Stilfontein, some 145km south-west of the country's biggest city, Johannesburg, which has been the focus of government efforts to clamp down on the illegal industry.A rescue cage had been making trips down a shaft to reach the miners thought to be at least 2km underground.
ILLEGAL MINING SOUTH AFRICA MINESHAFT RESCUE OPERATION DOCUMENTED MIGRANTS
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