Authorities in South Africa are weighing the risks of rescuing illegal miners trapped underground, asserting many stay below to avoid arrest, despite concerns for their safety.
Police have halted food and medical supply deliveries to the miners to force them out of an abandoned goldmine, claiming they are not trapped but hiding from law enforcement.
Amid rising violence linked to illegal mining, a minister has stated, "We are not sending help to criminals. Criminals are not to be helped, criminals are to be persecuted."
In response, local volunteers are taking critical sustenance to the miners underground, while a legal campaign group presses for their access to the mineshaft.
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