Relatives of miners trapped in a disused mine shaft in Stilfontein, South Africa, gathered anxiously at the site, hoping for news of their loved ones.
The illegal miners have been underground for weeks, with police blocking food and water supplies to force them out and arrest them for entering the abandoned mine in search of gold, Reuters reports.
The police minister, Senzo Mchunu, visiting the site on Friday, said, “We need a much quicker process because it is risky and dangerous for them to remain where they are.”
A cabinet minister previously declared no aid would be sent, calling the miners “criminals.”
Over 1000 illegal miners have surfaced in recent weeks as the police intensified operations.
At least one body has been retrieved, but hundreds remain underground, either unwilling or too weak to leave.
“I’m here waiting for young people who are underground, who are dying,” said Zimbabwean national, Roselina Nyuzeya. A woman near her cried for her husband, trapped since April.
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The miners, known as zama-zamas, mostly come from neighbouring countries, risking their lives to extract gold. Some community members held signs saying, “Smoke ANC out,” criticising the government’s inaction.
“We are asking for help from the government to assist us so our children can come out of the mine. All we are asking for is their remains to come out,” pleaded Matsidiso Ramolla, a local resident.