South Africa: 5 miners die in abandoned gold shaft

Five illegal miners have been found dead in an abandoned shaft near Johannesburg, emergency services said on Wednesday, highlighting the dangers of scavenging for bullion beneath Africa’s financial center.

Emergency services spokesman Robert Mulaudzi said the 5 bodies were brought to surface on Tuesday night and were confirmed dead at the scene. The bodies were recovered in an old shaft in Roodepoort, just west of Johannesburg.

“We can’t confirm the cause of death yet, it could have been a number of things,” said Mulaudzi.

Driven by unemployment, illegal miners chance their luck in the labyrinth of some of the world’s oldest and deepest gold mines, often armed with little more than a torch and pick-ax.

Source: Reuters