You may recall last year reading about the South African government's attempt to force a group of illegal miners out of an abandoned mine near Johannesburg:
That was in November. And incredibly, the pseudo-siege is still going on — with predictably deadly results:
South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny for their response after civic groups said hundreds of miners have been trapped deep in an abandoned gold mine for months, with more than 100 of them believed to have died of starvation or dehydration.
Authorities launched an operation in November to force out the men who were mining illegally at the closed Buffelsfontein Gold Mine by cutting off their food and water supplies from the surface for a period of time. Police say the miners can come out but are refusing for fear of being arrested.
They may be afraid of being arrested, sure. But it's hard to see how staying in the mine is the better option, based on the footage coming out of it:
[Warning: Graphic]
Yes, those seem to be dead bodies down in the mine. Many of them.
Police "tried to force the miners out last year by cutting off their supplies and dismantling ropes they used to climb down into the mine and a pulley system used for supplies."
Advocates won a partial victory at court last month that allowed supplies to be shipped down to the miners, though it is reportedly not enough to keep many of them from dying.
Some of the miners have reportedly escaped (and promptly been arrested):
But a spokesman for the Mining Affected Communities United in Action group, which is representing the miners and their families, said the miners who did escape undertook a treacherous days-long journey underground to a different shaft, and many are too weak to do that.
Authorities "started the official rescue and recovery effort on Monday using a cage lowered into the mine." But that could take "weeks," as the cage only fits about 10 people at a time.
Authorities have also said no official rescue personnel will go down into the mine because it is extremely dangerous.
Very sad.
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