Special rescue camera discovers hundreds of illegal miners trapped down 1.6 mile mineshaft since November

Hundreds of miners were rescued from a mineshaft in South Africa
(Image credit: Africa News)

In November last year, a specialized mine camera was lowered 1.6 miles into the Buffelsfontein mine in South Africa where hundreds of illegal miners were reported to be trapped – dying of starvation and dehydration.

There were no architectural plans of the mineshaft, so the rescuers used the camera to reach 1,280 meters underground, providing the first visuals of the trapped miners. According to The Independent, rescuers then sent the camera down again, this time with a notepad, pen and a letter attached to initiate communication with the miners.

Once it reached them, the miners immediately sent back a note telling rescuers that they were desperate to escape. However, it wouldn’t be until January 16 that 246 miners were rescued after months underground – including 87 dead bodies.

“When we got to the level we could immediately see that there are some people standing. We could not determine the number of people that are standing there but it was evident that people were standing around and they were in need of help to come up to the surface,” Mannas Fourie, the CEO of nonprofit group Mine Rescue Services South Africa, the private company contracted to rescue the miners, told the outlet.

ABOVE: See the camera that saved the miners

It was the first time that a specially designed cage that can be lowered as deep as 3,100 meters, fitted with specialized cameras and communications systems, was used to rescue a large number of people underground.

This rescue was the culmination of a months-long standoff between the illegal miners and the South African authorities. According to Human Rights Watch the stalemate began last November when police surrounded the abandoned gold mine’s entrance, with the goal of forcing the miners to emerge and then arresting them.

The South African Police Service reportedly cut off food and water deliveries to the miners, deploying starvation tactics to force the miners out in a move that has got rights groups calling the incident a massacre, after at least 87 people died underground.

Government minister Khumbudzo Ntshavheni drew criticism for saying, “We are not sending help to criminals. We are going to smoke them out.”

The recent rescue operation, conducted by Mine Rescue Services South Africa, began only after the High Court ordered the government to rescue the trapped miners. According to the BBC, there have been allegations that the miners were forced to eat the flesh of their deceased colleagues to survive.

One rights group, Mining-Affected Communities United in Action, has claimed that the surviving miners are being denied adequate medical care.

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Leonie Helm
Staff Writer

After graduating from Cardiff University with an Master's Degree in Journalism, Media and Communications Leonie developed a love of photography after taking a year out to travel around the world. 

While visiting countries such as Mongolia, Kazakhstan, Bangladesh and Ukraine with her trusty Nikon, Leonie learned how to capture the beauty of these inspiring places, and her photography has accompanied her various freelance travel features. 

As well as travel photography Leonie also has a passion for wildlife photography both in the UK and abroad.