At least 100 illegal miners have reportedly died from suspected starvation and dehydration after being trapped for months in an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, a miners? advocacy group said on Monday.

More than 500 others are believed to remain underground.

Sabelo Mnguni, spokesperson for the Mining Affected Communities United in Action Group (MACUA), revealed that a cellphone sent to the surface with rescued miners on Friday contained videos showing dozens of bodies wrapped in plastic deep underground.

Mnguni said the miners died after being trapped in the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine in North West province, where police launched an operation in November to remove them.

Since Friday, 18 bodies have been recovered, including nine brought out during a community-led effort and another nine retrieved in an official operation on Monday.

Authorities also rescued 26 survivors on the same day. However, police spokesperson Brigadier Sebata Mokgwabone stated that they are still verifying the total number of bodies recovered and survivors rescued.

The situation escalated after police reportedly removed ropes used by the miners to climb in and out of the mine, leaving them stranded. Authorities also cut off food supplies in an attempt to force the miners out, prompting sharp criticism.

In December, MACUA secured a court ruling mandating police to allow the delivery of food, water, and medicine to the miners.

The abandoned mine near Stilfontein, southwest of Johannesburg, has been a hotspot for illegal mining activity.

South Africa?s gold-rich regions are frequently targeted by informal miners, or ?zama zamas,? who enter closed mines in search of leftover deposits. Police said the miners initially refused to surface due to fear of arrest, but Mnguni claims they were effectively trapped.

Cellphone videos from within the mine, shared by MACUA, depict a dire situation. One video shows emaciated miners sitting on the damp floor, while a man recording can be heard saying,

?This is hunger. People are dying because of hunger. Please help us. Bring us food or take us out.? A preliminary autopsy of one recovered body confirmed starvation as the cause of death.

Mnguni reported that miners underground were dispersed across the vast, labyrinthine mine, which is 2.5 kilometres (1.5 miles) deep with multiple levels and shafts. He estimated the death toll to be much higher, given the number of groups trapped in different areas. Some miners who escaped described crawling through tunnels for days to find alternate exits.

South African authorities have long struggled to combat illegal mining, which is often associated with violent gangs and criminal syndicates. However, Mnguni argued that these miners are not criminals but former mine workers left destitute after mine closures.

?The miners go back to the mine because they live in poverty,? he said.

Police said delegations from the Ministry of Police and Ministry of Mineral Resources would visit the site on Tuesday as efforts continue to bring all miners to the surface.

Authorities noted that the operation to clear illegal miners from Buffelsfontein is part of a broader crackdown across North West province, where over 1,500 illegal miners were arrested last year. (AriseNews TV)

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