According to the Mineral Resources department, the group died last month, in a ventilation shaft that was last operational in the 1990s.
JOHANNESBURG - At least 31 suspected illegal miners have died at a mine in Welkom, in the Free State.
The department was alerted by Lesotho's Ministry of Foreign Affairs about the deaths of the suspected illegal miners. Mineral Resources added that it was also informed that three of the bodies were retrieved and brought to the surface by other suspected zama-zamas. It has further been determined that methane levels at the mine ventilation are too high, meaning search teams cannot be dispatched due to safety concerns.
The department said the bodies are still underground, pending efforts with relevant stakeholders to retrieve them.
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