The death toll from the abandoned gold mine in Stilfontein, South Africa, has risen to 78. The number of people rescued alive has also risen to 166. 11 of the rescued illegal miners are known to be Mozambican.

On Tuesday (14), a AFP reported that more than 20 illegal miners were rescued and 15 bodies brought to the surface of an abandoned gold mine in South Africa in the space of two days.

"Fifteen bodies have been extracted from the Stilfontein gold pit since the start of a rescue operation launched on Monday, using a specialized gondola and a winch," said South African police spokeswoman Athlenda Mathe.

In total, "24 people have been confirmed dead" since August at the site, about 140 km southwest of Johannesburg, said Deputy National Commissioner Tebello Mosikili.

"Last week, we received a letter from the underground indicating that there were more than 109 bodies," he told the AFP Levies Pilusa, 41, spokesman for the residents of the Khuma municipality.

It is not known how many people are still in the gold pit, which is almost two kilometers deep, but according to the police, who have been conducting an operation since November to evict the illegal miners, there could be several hundred. In mid-November, some local sources put the number at around 4,000.

(Photo DR)