Fourteen illegal miners have been killed and eight others seriously injured after a rockfall at an abandoned mine near Rustenburg, South Africa, police said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred at a disused mine approximately 100 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg, where the miners were reportedly working illegally.
Provincial police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburgh said authorities were still travelling to the scene and that details about the victims, including their nationalities, were not immediately available.
“Fourteen illegal miners dead at disused mine,” police said in a statement.
Myburgh said the eight injured miners were in serious condition.
South Africa has thousands of unregistered miners, commonly known as “zama zamas,” who enter abandoned mine shafts in search of gold and other minerals. Many operate in extremely dangerous conditions, with little or no safety infrastructure.
According to police, the illegal mining sector attracts people from across southern Africa, particularly those affected by poverty and unemployment. The activity has also been associated with organised crime, extortion and other illegal operations.
Myburgh said the abandoned mine shafts are highly unstable and lack basic safety measures.
The latest incident highlights the dangers faced by illegal miners who continue to work in disused mines despite the risk of collapses and other accidents.
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