South African rescuers have pulled out 36 dead bodies and 82 survivors from a gold mine deep underground in two days of operations, police said on Tuesday, adding that the survivors would all face illegal mining and immigration charges.
Authorities say more than 400 people are stuck underground, while the number of dead illegal miners is over 100. There's been a tense standoff with police since November, and miners have died underground.
Police said they blocked miners' supplies of food and water to force them out and arrest them for illegally entering the abandoned mine in search of leftover gold.
The government crackdown, part of an operation called "Vala Umgodi" or "Close the hole" in the isiZulu language, has drawn criticism from human rights organizations and local residents.
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