Fourteen suspected illegal miners, and mostly Basotho nationals, died when a section of a disused mine collapsed near Rustenburg, North West province on Monday night.

The incident occurred at the Nkaneng dumping site on Sibanye mine premises. Police were alerted around 9pm. North West police spokesperson Colonel Adele Myburgh confirmed that eight other illegal miners were injured and taken to hospital, while an unknown number may remain trapped underground. Rescue teams were dispatched and the scene remained active as of Tuesday morning.

National police spokesperson Brigadier Athlenda Mathe said the walls of the disused mine caved in while the group was underground. The deaths are being investigated as an inquest. A senior provincial police official was en route to the site.

Illegal mining has long plagued South Africa. Operators often enter abandoned commercial shafts to extract residual minerals, sometimes under the control of violent criminal networks. The activity costs the state and industry hundreds of millions of dollars yearly in lost revenue. The Rustenburg tragedy comes less than two years after the Stilfontein mine disaster, in which at least 87 suspected illegal miners died after becoming trapped underground.

Police continue operations at the scene. Further updates are expected as rescue efforts proceed.

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