South Africa mine dump collapse kills at least 14 suspected illegal miners
At least 14 suspected illegal miners were killed and eight injured when a mine dump collapsed in South Africa’s North West province on Monday night, police said. Search and rescue operations are under way for an unknown number of people who may still be trapped at the site near Rustenburg, provincial police commissioner Arthur Peter Adams said. The collapse occurred as the miners were digging for…
Rescue efforts are underway near Rustenburg following the collapse of a former platinum mine dump where a group of individuals were excavating precious metals. According to police, at least 14 suspected illegal miners lost their lives and eight sustained injuries in the incident that occurred on Monday night. The search and rescue operation is ongoing to locate any additional individuals who might still be entombed at the site located near Rustenburg, as stated by provincial police commissioner Arthur Peter Adams.
The collapse took place while the miners were extracting platinum group metals from a disused dump on a private company's premises, according to Adams. The injured miners are from Lesotho, while the nationalities of those deceased remain undetermined. Illegal mining has been a persistent issue in South Africa for many years, encompassing anything from individual theft to operations managed by organized criminal syndicates.
Undocumented miners frequently infiltrate deserted commercial mines to recover residual deposits, sometimes under the influence of violent gangs. Illegal mining exacts a significant financial toll on the government and mining sector, costing hundreds of millions of dollars annually in forfeited sales, taxes, and royalties.
Written by urgent.news from South China Morning Post's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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