A rescue operation in an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, has concluded, revealing a devastating toll of 78 deaths. The tragedy has sparked fierce debate over the government's handling of the increasing number of illegal mining operations. Most miners appear to have died from starvation and dehydration after the government disrupted their food and water supplies and blocked exit routes, according to critics.
Forensic service workers carried the remains of miners in blue body bags during a rescue operation in an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, on January 15. Rescue workers had recovered 78 bodies from the worsening disaster in an abandoned South African gold mine, sparking fierce debate over the government’s handling of a surging number of illegal mining operations.
Most of the dead miners, if not all, appear to have died from starvation or dehydration after the South African government disrupted their food and water supplies and impeded their exit routes from remote shafts about 2.5 kilometers underground. On Wednesday night, organizers said the three-day rescue operation had ended, with more than 240 survivors brought to the surface to face criminal charges. Among the dead, many bodies were decomposed and difficult to identify, but most were from Mozambique, Zimbabwe, and Lesotho, police said. The illegal mines, fueled by economic desperation and undocumented migration from poorer countries, have become increasingly dangerous for the workers who venture deep underground in search of tiny bits of gold. But the crisis at Stilfontein, about 150 kilometers southwest of Johannesburg, has been the deadliest so far. For months, South Africa’s government has taken a tough stance on illegal miners, and in Stilfontein, it vowed to “smoke them out” by cutting off their food and water. By blocking some of their exit routes and supplies, the authorities made it impossible for many of the weak and emaciated miners to reach the surface, critics said. Some food supplies were restored after a court order last month. A subsequent court ruling led to the hiring of a private rescue company that used a large crane to lower a metal cage into the mine shaft in a painfully slow process this week. “It is unconscionable that the South African government allowed this situation to deteriorate to such an extent,” the South African Federation of Trade Unions (SAFTU) said in a statement this week. “While it is true that these miners were engaged in illegal mining activities, driven by desperation and extreme poverty, their actions do not justify condemnation to death by starvation,” it said. They target the thousands of abandoned mine shafts in a country that was once the world’s biggest gold producer. South Africa is losing US$3-billion annually from lost sales and taxes as a result of illicit mining, the government says. It has become increasingly hostile to the miners, at a time when an anti-immigrant mood is soaring among many South Africans. Police officials even refused to use the term “rescue operation” because the government argues that it has no obligation to rescue the illegal miners. Zwelinzima Vavi, general secretary of SAFTU, said he was shocked by the callousness of many South Africans who posted hostile comments on social media in response to his calls for rescue efforts. “The response is, ‘let them die, they deserve to die, they are criminals, they are foreigners, and we should have put a concrete slab on top of the mine and forget about them,’” Mr. Vavi told a South African television channel on Wednesday. “It’s incredible the level of coldness,” he said. “Once you start celebrating the death of anyone because he is a foreigner … you have crossed the line from being a normal human being. Our constitution says that anyone within our borders deserves the protection of the state.” At the peak of the illegal mining activities, nearly 2,000 miners were working in the shafts around Stilfontein, and some had been underground for six months, authorities said. While most miners might have been foreign nationals from African countries, many had deep roots in the community and were strongly supported by local people, who jeered the South African politicians arriving at the scene this week. Protesters blocked the vehicles of two cabinet ministers who visited the site on Tuesday. Some held placards comparing the disaster to the massacre of 34 striking miners by police at the Marikana platinum mine in 2012. According to the SAFTU statement, the government was aware that the miners were trapped in a shaft from which any exit was increasingly difficult. One exit route required 37 hours of crawling – “an impossible feat for miners already weakened by hunger and dehydration,” the union federation said
SOUTH AFRICA GOLD MINES ILLEGAL MINING GOVERNMENT RESPONSE RESCUE OPERATION DEATHS STARVATION DEHYDRATION INTERNATIONAL MIGRATION
Canada Latest News, Canada Headlines
Similar News:You can also read news stories similar to this one that we have collected from other news sources.
100 Miners Dead in Abandoned South African Gold Mine, Hundreds Still TrappedMore than 100 illegal miners have died of starvation and dehydration in an abandoned South African gold mine, while hundreds more remain trapped. The tragedy occurred as police attempted to force the miners out, raising questions about the methods used and the government's handling of the situation.
Read more »
Dozens Dead, Hundreds Rescued From Abandoned South African Gold MineA court-ordered rescue operation at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in South Africa concluded this week, revealing dozens of bodies and hundreds of emaciated survivors. The operation brought a grim end to a months-long standoff with illegal miners and their families.
Read more »
Rescuers bring out survivors, dead from South African mine as hundreds remain undergroundPolice say at least 24 bodies and 37 survivors have been brought out of the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine since Friday, but more than 500 are still believed to be underground, many of them ill and starving
Read more »
Engineering Firm Sues Artemis Gold Over Blackwater Gold Mine DisputeSedgman Canada Ltd. alleges breach of contract and negligence by Artemis Gold Inc. and BWG Gold Ltd. over delays and interference at the Blackwater Gold mine construction site.
Read more »
The gold market is boiling: 4 gold stock options riding on the highThe Kitco News Team brings you the latest news, videos, analysis and opinions regarding Precious Metals, Crypto, Mining, World Markets and Global Economy.
Read more »
Gold Prices Rise on Dollar Weakness and China's Gold ReservesGold prices experienced an upward trend on Tuesday, attributed to a decline in the U.S. dollar and continued gold purchases by China's central bank.
Read more »