Police in South Africa are investigating after a mine dump site collapsed on Monday night, killing 14 people believed to be illegal miners.
Eight others were injured. Authorities say an unknown number of people may still be trapped under the rubble, and rescue excavation work has now stopped.
The incident happened at a site that is legally run by a mining company. Lt-Gen Arthur Adams, the regional police chief, told Newzroom Afrika that the walls of the dump gave way while the group was trying to mine platinum and other metals.
Most of those involved are thought to be undocumented foreign nationals, many from neighbouring Lesotho. In South Africa they are known as “zama zamas,” a Zulu term meaning “those who try their luck.”
Adams, who visited the scene on Tuesday morning, said three of the injured have been treated and released from hospital. All of them have been detained and will face charges of illegal mining and trespassing.
The company was operating the dump legally, but it is not clear how the miners got access.
Illegal mining remains common in South Africa. With many commercial mines no longer profitable and officially closed, desperate workers often enter abandoned shafts and dumps looking for leftover gold and platinum.
The deaths add to a long pattern of fatalities at these sites. In January last year, 78 bodies were recovered from a disused shaft in Stilfontein, south-west of Johannesburg, after miners were trapped during a police crackdown on illicit operations.
Police say the investigation into Monday night’s collapse is ongoing and search teams are still assessing the site for any other victims.
