Why hundreds of miners are still trapped and starving in an abandoned South Africa mine South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny for their response after civic groups said hundreds of miners have been trapped deep in an abandoned gold mine for months, with more than 100 of them believed to have died of starvation or dehydration.
But groups representing the miners dispute that and say they are trapped up to 2.5 kilometers (1.5 miles) below the surface in one of the country's deepest mines and a proper rescue operation should have started months ago.
Large groups often go underground for months to maximize their profits, taking food, water, generators and other equipment with them, but also relying on others on the surface to send down more supplies.
Authorities launched an operation in November to force out the men who were mining illegally at the closed Buffelsfontein Gold Mine by cutting off their food and water supplies from the surface.
Illegal mining is common in parts of gold-rich South Africa where companies close down mines that are no longer profitable, leaving informal miners to illegally enter them to try and find leftover deposits.
