CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny for their response after civic groups said hundreds of miners have been trapped deep in an abandoned ...

The South African government’s failure to ensure that abandoned coal mines are rehabilitated puts communities at risk of injury and death and risks polluting resident’s water sources.

This is a very big problem in South Africa. There are more than 6,000 abandoned mines in the country and approximately 2,322 of these have been identified as high risk, including coal mines.

Forensic service workers carry remains in blue body bags during a rescue operation to rescue miners from below ground in an abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, Tuesday, Jan. 14, 2025.

CAPE TOWN, South Africa (AP) — South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny for their response after civic groups said hundreds of miners have been trapped deep in an abandoned ...