South Africa Starts Rescuing Illegal Gold Miners Trapped for Months
- Rights groups say more than 100 miners have starved to death
- Stand-off between miners and authorities has lasted months
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An operation to rescue illegal gold miners who are stranded in deep underground shafts in South Africa’s North West province got under way on Monday, ending a months-long standoff over their fate.
Civil rights groups say at least 100 people have died from starvation since October when the authorities sealed off shafts at the Buffelsfontein gold mine in Stilfontein, about 156 kilometers (97 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, to deny the miners access to food in a bid to force them to the surface.