Fourteen illegal miners have died and eight others suffered serious injuries after a rockfall at an abandoned mine in South Africa.
Police confirmed the deaths on Tuesday as emergency officials prepared to reach the disused mining site and assess the full extent of the disaster.
The identities and nationalities of the victims had not been established at the time of the report, according to police.
Authorities said the injured miners were in serious condition following the collapse, although further details about their treatment were not immediately available.
Police described the incident as a deadly rockfall involving illegal miners working inside an abandoned mine shaft.
The accident occurred near Rustenburg, a mining town located about 100 kilometres northwest of Johannesburg.
Police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburgh said the miners had been operating in an environment with little or no protection against structural failures.
According to Myburgh, abandoned mine shafts often lack basic infrastructure and safety systems, leaving those who enter them exposed to potentially fatal accidents.
“These abandoned workings are highly dangerous because there are no proper safety measures or reliable infrastructure,” she said.
The victims were believed to be among South Africa’s so-called “zama zamas”, a term commonly used for unregistered miners who enter disused mines to search for gold and other valuable minerals.
Thousands of such miners operate across South Africa, often working deep underground in unstable and poorly maintained shafts.
Many are drawn into illegal mining by unemployment and economic hardship, with some travelling from other parts of southern Africa in search of income.
However, the illegal mining industry has become a major security concern for South African authorities.
Officials have linked some illegal mining operations to organised criminal networks involved in extortion, violence, assassinations and other illicit activities.
The latest mine collapse has again highlighted the dangers faced by unregistered miners who enter abandoned shafts without professional equipment or adequate safety arrangements.
Rescue and assessment efforts were expected to provide authorities with more information about the circumstances surrounding the rockfall and the identities of those involved.