VIDEO: Gold Mine Disaster – Dozens Confirmed Dead!

Red emergency lights on a dark floor

(DailyEmailNews.com) – A shocking tragedy has unfolded in South Africa, where at least 78 bodies have been recovered from an abandoned gold mine.

Watch the video down below.

The Buffelsfontein Gold Mine, located in Stilfontein, became the center of this crisis when hundreds of illegal miners, mainly foreign nationals from Mozambique, Zimbabwe and Lesotho, found themselves trapped underground.

Initially reluctant to intervene, the South African government faced criticism for how it handled the situation.

Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe defended the government’s actions, stating, “Our mandate was to combat criminality and that is exactly what we’ve been doing.”

She added, “By providing food, water and necessities to these illegal miners, it would be the police entertaining and allowing criminality to thrive.”

“It’s a criminal activity. It’s an attack on our economy by foreign nationals in the main,” said South African Mining Minister Gwede Mantashe.

The government’s stance reflects a growing frustration with the economic impact of illegal mining.

Last year alone, the unlawful precious metals trade cost South Africa an estimated 60 billion rand in lost revenue.

With over 6,000 abandoned mines across the country, the problem of illegal mining has reached epidemic proportions.

While some human rights groups have criticized the government’s approach, many South Africans support a tougher stance on illegal immigration and mining.

“These miners, many of them undocumented and desperate workers from Mozambique and other Southern African countries, were left to die in one of the most horrific displays of state wilful negligence in recent history,” the South African Federation of Trade Unions stated.

The country’s unemployment rate exceeds 30%, and the influx of undocumented workers worsens the strain on limited job opportunities and resources.

Despite the controversy, the rescue operation has concluded with more than 240 survivors rescued.

However, the government plans to charge these individuals with illegal mining, trespassing, and immigration violations.

This approach sends a clear message that South Africa is no longer a safe haven for those entering the country illegally.

Copyright 2025, DailyEmailNews.com