4,000 illegal miners trapped underground in South Africa

In a phone interview with Xinhua, North West Police Spokesperson Sabata Mokgwabone said that the community-led rescue efforts would resume once the weather clears.

 Mokgwabone explained that the situation began on Nov. 2, when over 50 illegal miners emerged from the relatively "safe" Margaret shaft, reporting that others were still underground. He noted that the trapped miners, currently estimated to be around 4,000, were in other unused and "dangerous" mine shafts far from the Margaret shaft.

 "We are still at the shaft. It's raining hard and the operations have stopped for now," Mokgwabone said.

 Mokgwabone further stated that the 55 illegal miners who recently resurfaced were apprehended for violating the Immigration Act and engaging in illegal mining.

 Police in provinces such as North West, Gauteng, and the Free State have been clamping down on illegal miners who over the years have invaded disused and closed gold mines. These illegal miners, often from Lesotho and Zimbabwe, are in search of gold. Thousands have been arrested since the launch of Operation Vala Umgodi against illegal mining.