The recent Stilfontein disaster, claiming 78 lives, has exposed the devastating scale of South Africa's illegal gold mining crisis

Speaking to the media on Thursday, acting North West police commissioner Patrick Asaneng confirmed there were no illegal miners remaining at the site. The MRS is expected to provide a detailed report to law enforcement and the Department of Minerals and Petroleum Resources.

(250116) -- JOHANNESBURG, Jan. 16, 2025 (Xinhua) -- Rescue vehicles are seen at the rescue operation site of an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, North West Province, South Africa, on Jan. 16, 2025.

In a police crackdown at an illegal gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, 78 people died and hundreds were rescued. The GIWUSA labour union has condemned the state's actions as a massacre, while survivors face charges of illegal activity.

Police say the death toll in a monthslong standoff between authorities and miners trapped while working illegally underground at an abandoned gold mine in South Africa has risen to at least 87

South African rescuers have so far pulled 78 bodies and rescued 166 people from the Stilfontein gold mine over three days of operations, police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe told reporters at the scene on Wednesday.

Authorities now believe that nearly 2,000 miners were working illegally in the mine near the town of Stilfontein, southwest of Johannesburg, since August last year.