South Africa Mine Collapse Kills 14 Illegal Miners, Injures 8 Near Rustenburg
Updated
Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 11
South Africa Mine Collapse Kills 14 Illegal Miners, Injures 8 Near Rustenburg
3 articles · Updated · The Associated Press · Aug 11
Summary
At least 14 artisanal miners were killed and eight injured after the walls of an illicit mine collapsed Monday night near Rustenburg, a platinum-mining hub northwest of Johannesburg.
Police said the search was still underway Tuesday, using sniffer dogs and specialized equipment, and it remained unclear whether more miners were trapped underground.
Three injured miners were released from hospital and arrested on suspicion of illegal mining, while five others remained hospitalized under police guard; most of the dead appeared to be from Lesotho.
The collapse highlights South Africa's entrenched illegal-mining problem, where tens of thousands of zama zamas work in abandoned gold and platinum shafts with little safety and links to criminal syndicates.
The disaster follows a late-2024 illegal-mining standoff in which more than 80 miners died underground, and comes as President Cyril Ramaphosa's yearlong anti-crime deployment targets the trade.