14 illegal miners killed in South Africa mine collapse — Pajhwok

KABUL (Pajhwok): At least 14 illegal miners have been killed and eight others injured after part of an abandoned mine collapsed in South Africa’s North West province, police said. Reuters reported that the incident occurred on Monday night near the city of Rustenburg. Police officials said search and rescue operations were underway to locate an unknown number of people who may still be trapped under the rubble. Arthur Peter Adams, the North West provincial police commissioner, said the miners were extracting platinum-group metals at an abandoned mine owned by a private company when the collapse occurred. Police said the eight injured miners were citizens of Lesotho, while the identities and nationalities of those killed had not yet been established. Illegal mining has been a longstanding challenge in South Africa, where unlicensed miners often enter abandoned commercial mines to extract remaining mineral deposits, according to the report.