TimesLive reports that an underground fire and deadly gases are preventing rescue teams from recovering the bodies of illegal miners trapped in Johannesburg's oldest gold mine in Langlaagte.
Late on Sunday, Mines Rescue Services chief executive officer Christo de Klerk said his team had had to put the recovery on hold and wait for the fire to die and gases to dissipate. Ealier, four of the illegal miners were rescued. It is believed as many as seven bodies may lie in the disused mine, which is close to the site where gold was discovered in 1886, resulting in the establishment of Johannesburg. The miners, known as zama zamas, got trapped underground on Wednesday last week. It is not known how many miners are still trapped in the mine
- Read this report by Vusi Xaba and Aphiwe de Klerk in full at TimesLive
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