Police in South Africa forced 540 illegal miners out of abandoned mines and arrested them.
Earlier this week, security forces blocked food and water deliveries to miners in an attempt to push them out of the mine.
Police said the miners experienced “starvation and dehydration” and were forced to surface.
Individuals have been out of the mine, located in the northern town of Orkney, since Saturday, although hundreds are believed to remain in the shaft.
A statement from the force said on Sunday the head of the national police encouraged security forces on the ground “not to back down” and “ensure the rule of law is restored”.
The statement said that earlier this week, security forces “blocked communities in and around these abandoned mines in Orkney to deliver food parcels, water and essentials to the miners”. this illegal mining”.
Police reported Saturday that 225 miners had resurfaced, but “hundreds, if not a thousand” were believed to remain underground.
In an update on Sunday, the national force said a further 340 people had emerged from the mine and were arrested.
Thousands of illegal miners, known as “zama zama” (“luck testers” in Zulu), operate in this mineral-rich country.
National Police Commissioner Lieutenant General Shadrack Sibiya said that since December 2023, more than 13,690 suspects have been arrested across seven provinces.
“We seized R5 million ($283,000; £220,000) in cash and uncut diamonds worth R32 million ($1.8 million; £1.4 million),” he said.
