South Africa.. 78 people were killed in an abandoned gold mine

Rescue teams and volunteers have recovered at least 78 dead bodies and more than 160 survivors from an abandoned gold mine in South Africa, where they had suffered for more than two months during a standoff with authorities who demanded that they surrender to police over illegal mining.
Hundreds more are still believed to be trapped, and the death toll is expected to rise in a disaster that has drawn criticism for the South African government’s decision to try to “force them out” by cutting them off from food and other supplies for a period of time.

Rescue operation

The rescue operation began after a court order, but only a few workers can be recovered at a time, and the operation may take ten days.
South African authorities say the workers were able to exit through another opening in the Bouvielfontein gold mine, one of the deepest mines in the mineral-rich country.
But activists say this requires a dangerous underground journey that could take days for some, and many of them became extremely weak and sick after months of living underground with little food and water, and police say some workers refused to come out.

It is noteworthy that the mine is located at a depth of 2.5 kilometers and has many openings, levels and a maze of tunnels.
A group representing the workers said there were several groups in different parts of the mine, and estimated that more than 500 workers were underground when the rescue operation began.
It is not yet clear how long the workers spent underground, but relatives say some have been there since July.