Lentswe, Khuma - It is the smell of decaying bodies that will stay with the mine rescue workers tasked with extracting illegal miners from their underground hell at shaft 11. The illegal miners as well as the decomposing bodies from those who succumbed underground are hoisted to the surface, and as one rescue worker told Lentswe, even those still living, smell like the dead.
The rescue operation started at the beginning of the week and is supported by state-of-the-art equipment, including a cage system for evacuation, and more than 180 personnel from SAPS, Emergency Medical Services, Pathology Units, and other stakeholders have been deployed at the shaft.
By late Tuesday night January 14, a total of 106 alive illegal miners were retrieved and arrested for illegal mining. A further 51 were certified dead and retrieved bringing the number of deceased recovered since Monday to 87.
According to Brig Athlenda Mathe, police spokesperson, once they are extracted, the illegal miners are inspected for any illicit items such as gold nuggets and illegal firearms and thereafter assessed by paramedics on site.
“Those that require further medical care are taken to a health facility for further medical care, while those who are in good health are immediately detained. All illegal miners are processed to determine their nationality and their immigration status, and once that is done they are detained in police cells.’’
The Department of Health refuted claims that it is unable to cope with the corpses that have been handed over to forensic facilities. “The Department has identified several forensic pathology services facilities to deal with the expected, sizeable number of corpses as the operation is ongoing. We are assisting with identification processes through DNA and other medical means, including post mortems to determine whether these deaths were as a results of hunger as alleged, illness or injuries.’’
Following the deaths of these illegal miners, SAPS are investigating allegations that the food that was sent down, was allegedly limited and kept from these illegal miners as well as allegations of abuse and cases of assault, following videos that emerged from underground showing some illegal miners being beaten and tortured.
Rescue operations resumed on Wednesday morning January 15 and is anticipated to last for the next 10 to 16 days.
