Rescuers seek last bodies in South Africa mine where 78 died in police siege

Rescued miners are seen as they are processed by police after being rescued at the mine shaft where rescue operations are ongoing as attempts are made to rescue illegal miners who have been underground for months, in Stilfontein, South Africa, January 14, 2025. REUTERS/Ihsaan Haffejee

STILFONTEIN, South Africa (Reuters) - South African rescuers were making final efforts on Thursday to ascertain whether anyone was left in an illegal gold mine deep underground where at least 78 people died during a police siege, in what a labour union called a state-sponsored massacre.

Police had encircled the mine since August and cut off food and water supplies in an attempt to force the miners up to the surface so they could be arrested as part of a crackdown on illegal mining, which the government calls a war on the economy.