11 illegal miners killed in abandoned mine in South Africa

Eleven illegal miners were killed in an abandoned gold mine in Benoni near Johannesburg on Tuesday, South African authorities said.

The miners were believed to be killed by an explosion underground, according to the South African Police Service (SAPS).

Alerted by another group of illegal miners, police dispatched a rescue team to the scene to recover the bodies, but the rescue effort was hampered by toxic fumes in the mine shaft, said sources at the scene.

An miner told the South African Broadcasting Corporation that three other miners died in the same shaft last Sunday.

Benoni, where several abandoned gold mines are situated, is a hot bed for illegal mining. In February this year, four suspected illegal miners were shot dead in a gold mine by rival counterparts in the area.

The South African Chamber of Mines estimates that illegal mining costs South Africa 5.6 billion rand (418 million U.S. dollars) in lost revenue every year.

Source: XINHUA