Over 150 illegal miners have been rescued from an abandoned mine in South Africa’s eastern Mpumalanga province, according to officials.
This is coming after three bodies were recovered earlier this week on the first day of the rescue operation.
Majority of those rescued were allegedly foreign nationals who claim they were forced underground against their will to search for gold.
A police spokesperson has confirmed the miners have been arrested, and investigations have commenced into the illegal mining activities in the region.
On Friday night, the final miner to emerge from the disused shaft had blown a whistle as he was received by army officers waiting on standby.
He had reportedly appeared exhausted but could not hide his relief after surfacing.
Following his emergence from the mine, a police spokesperson confirmed the rescue operation at the Mpumalanga mine was now complete, although investigations will continue before the site is closed down.
Meanwhile, rescue efforts are still ongoing at another abandoned mine in Stilfontein, south-west of Johannesburg.
The authorities have made plans to deploy more equipment on Monday to help with removing those still stuck underground.
Illegal mining is commonplace across South Africa and this practice costs its economy millions in lost revenue.
Mpumalanga has been named as a hotspot for such illicit activities.
