Over two dozen illegal miners were rescued and at least 15 bodies were recovered from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, as operations continued for a second day Tuesday to reach more people who have been underground for months.
This brings the death toll to 24 since August, when authorities began driving out clandestine miners at the site near Stilfontein, about 140 kilometres (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, police Lieutenant General Tebello Mosikili told journalists at the scene.
Some 1,500 people have voluntarily left the shaft, a police spokesperson earlier told local press.
