At least 78 bodies of unauthorized mine workers and more than 200 living miners were retrieved from a deep gold mine in South Africa amid rescue operations this week, with rights advocates estimating potentially dozens more are deceased in the mine. Officials claimed the deaths resulted from starvation and dehydration.
Hundreds of workers—mostly from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho—have been inside the mine since at least July, searching for trace amounts of gold to be sold illicitly by unofficial groups. In November, officials blockaded the mine and cut off food, water, and other supplies to force the miners out to face arrest, part of a broader anti-illegal mining operation.
The Buffelsfontein gold mine—roughly 100 miles southwest of Johannesburg—is an 8,000-foot-deep shaft that has been officially closed since 2013. The region's goldfield is one of the most productive historically, with deposits deep underground requiring extensive mining works (see history). Officials estimate South Africa contains more than 6,000 abandoned gold mines left over from its longtime dominance in the industry.
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