SA discovers 19 bodies of suspected illegal miners

South African police say they have discovered 19 bodies suspected to be of illegal miners in the mining town of Krugersdorp west of Johannesburg.

The police said in a statement on Wednesday that they were “responding to a call following the discovery” of the bodies in one of the active mines in the area.

They said initial investigations suggested “the deceased were moved and placed where they were discovered”.

It is unclear how the alleged illegal miners died, although the police said they did not suspect any foul play.

They said post-mortem examinations would be done to determine the cause of death.

Thousands of unregistered miners operate in the country in search of minerals in disused mines.

BBC Africa