Rescue of workers trapped in a gold mine in South Africa.

On February 16, South African officials announced they had rescued workers trapped in an illegal gold mine east of Johannesburg.

Currently, 11 survivors have been handed over to the police for investigation, while many other workers refuse to leave the mine for fear of being arrested.

Rescue workers assist a miner after he has been rescued. (Source: AFP/VNA)

There are still no precise statistics on the number of workers involved in the mine accident. The mine is divided into two levels, with 30 people working on the upper level and approximately 200 people working on the lower level.

However, Rogger Mamaila, an official from the local emergency rescue agency, said it was impossible to confirm the exact number of workers involved, as local authorities stated that the actual number was only around 30.

Mr. Mamaila said the rescue operation concluded within two hours, after 11 trapped workers were brought to the surface. Rescue teams, using heavy excavators, removed all the rock blocking the tunnel and created an exit for the remaining workers to safely leave the tunnel.

The workers had been mining for gold since February 15th. This was an illegal mine located behind the cricket stadium in Benoni district. However, they were later unable to escape due to a large mass of falling earth and rocks blocking the exit. Fortunately, a passerby heard their cries for help and promptly alerted the police.

Mining accidents are common in South Africa. Two weeks ago, eight miners died in a fire at the Harmony Gold mine west of Johannesburg.

According to VNA