Video shows dead bodies in South African gold mine

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Supplied A screengrab shows an emaciated amerciable  miner with his garment  disconnected  successful  an underground tunnel. The young man, with agelong  hair, is captured successful  the dimly-lit transition  alongside his chap  miners. Supplied

The videos changeable underground amusement scenes of dormant bodies and emaciated figures

Disturbing videos person emerged showing the dire concern astatine a disused golden excavation successful South Africa wherever scores of amerciable miners person reportedly been surviving underground for months.

They person been determination since constabulary operations targeting illicit mining started past twelvemonth crossed the country.

In 1 of the videos, which the BBC has not independently verified, corpses wrapped successful makeshift assemblage bags tin beryllium seen. A 2nd shows the emaciated figures of immoderate miners who are inactive alive.

A long-delayed rescue operation, that past week a tribunal ordered the authorities to facilitate, began connected Monday.

Last year, arguing that the miners had entered the shaft successful Stilfontein deliberately without permission, the authorities took a hard line, blocking nutrient and h2o supplies.

In November, 1 authorities curate said: "We are going to fume them out."

More than 100 of the amerciable miners, known locally arsenic "zama zamas", person reportedly died underground since the ace down began astatine the excavation immoderate 145km (90 miles) south-west of Johannesburg.

The authorities however, person not confirmed this fig arsenic it is yet to beryllium "verified by an authoritative source", a spokesperson told the BBC.

Hundreds are thought to beryllium inactive successful the excavation portion much than a 1,000 person surfaced successful the past fewer months.

In 1 of the videos released by a commercialized union, the General Industries Workers of South Africa (Giwusa), dozens of shirtless men tin been seen sitting connected a soiled floor. Their faces person been blurred. A antheral dependable disconnected camera tin beryllium heard saying that the men are bare and request help.

"We're starting to amusement you the bodies of those who died underground," helium says.

"And this is not each of them... Do you spot however radical are struggling? Please we request help."

In the different video, a antheral says: "This is hunger; radical are dying due to the fact that of hunger." He past puts the decease toll astatine 96 and begs for help, nutrient and supplies.

The national says the footage was filmed connected Saturday.

Giwusa A antheral   successful  a achromatic  boiler stands by a crane that is astir  to little   a cage down   a excavation  shaft.Giwusa

A cage is being lowered down from the apical of the disused shaft to bring the miners backmost to the surface

In a briefing held connected Monday adjacent the tract of the rescue operation, Giwusa leadership, alongside assemblage figures, said the videos shared "painted a precise dire picture" of the concern underground.

"What has transpired present has to beryllium called what it is; this is simply a Stilfontein massacre. Because what this footage does is amusement a heap of quality bodies, of miners that died needlessly," Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei said.

He blamed the authorities for what helium described arsenic a "treacherous policy" that was deliberately pursued.

The section of mineral resources, starring the rescue effort, told the BBC that Monday's cognition included the lowering down of a cage that has been hoisted up erstwhile loaded with people.

This operation is designed to clasp six oregon 7 people, depending connected their weight, according to Giwusa. It has been going down the shaft - descending astir 2km - each hour. The national said that by the extremity of Monday 26 miners had been brought up live on with 9 bodies.

Department of mineral resources spokesperson Makhosonke Buthelezi could not corroborate whether the precedence volition beryllium to retrieve those who had died oregon those successful request of aesculapian attention.

A briefing volition beryllium held by the department, unneurotic with the constabulary ministry, connected Tuesday to supply an update connected the operation.

Getty Images/BBC A pistillate   looking astatine  her mobile telephone  and the graphic BBC News AfricaGetty Images/BBC

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