DMRE: 31 suspected illegal miners dead in Free State
The Department of Mineral Resources says it has received a report that at least 31 suspected illegal miners, believed to be Basotho nationals, have died at a Virginia mine near Welkom in the Free State.
The department said on Friday that it got word from the Department of Foreign Affairs and International Relations in Lesotho that a group of suspected illegal miners died in a mine ventilation shaft in May.
The shaft was last operational in the 1990s.
In a statement on Friday, the department says three bodies have been brought to the surface by other miners.
"Working in collaboration with the previous owners of the mine, Harmony, the DMRE inspectors have assessed the situation and determined that methane levels at the mine ventilation shaft 5 are very high.
"As such, it is currently too risky to dispatch a search team to the shaft. However, we are considering various options to speedily deal with the situation.
"Although this is a unique and strange situation, all relevant stakeholders will endeavour to ensure that the suspected deceased illegal miners are brought to the surface."
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