21 bodies found at mine in South Africa

According to Mining News Pro - South African police are investigating the discovery of at least 21 bodies suspected of being illegal miners that were found near an active mine in the town of Krugersdorp, west of Johannesburg.

According to police, 19 bodies were discovered on Wednesday afternoon and two more were discovered on Thursday morning. Police said they suspect that the bodies were moved to the location where they were found, which is a privately-owned mine.

“We can confirm that this morning our search and rescue team went back to the scene and, as they were searching, they discovered two more bodies. They retrieved them from an open (mine) shaft,” police spokeswoman Brenda Muridili said Thursday.

Muridili said evidence found on the scene suggested the people did not die where their bodies were found but “no foul play” was suspected. The bodies would undergo autopsies, she said.

The Sowetan newspaper reported that the bodies were those of illegal miners who died when a tunnel at a different mine collapsed, although police declined to confirm that before the results of the autopsies. The Sowetan, quoting an unnamed illegal miner, said the bodies were moved so police wouldn’t find where the illegal mining was taking place.