A miner who spent six months in a disused mine in South Africa has spoken of the horror he experienced after a police operation cut off food and basic supplies to thousands who were illegally digging for gold.

The clampdown on illegal mining cut off food and water to hundreds of miners underground. At least 78 bodies were pulled from a mining shaft this week, and more are believed to remain underground.

By Siyabonga Sishi and Nellie Peyton STILFONTEIN, South Africa (Reuters) - South African rescuers were making final efforts on Thursday to ascertain whether anyone was left in an illegal gold mine deep underground where at least 78 people died during a police siege,

South African authorities have come under intense scrutiny for their response after civic groups said hundreds of miners have been trapped deep in an abandoned gold mine for months.

At least 78 dead bodies have been pulled from an illegal gold mine in South Africa where police cut off food and water supplies for months, in what trade unions called a "horrific" crackdown on desperate people trying to eke out a living.

Criminal defence lawyer Satchie Govender may be in his 70s but he’s still hard at work, although these days it’s in the District Court - a long way and a far cry from his former job, opening the graves of people killed during the apartheid era in South Africa.

Rescue teams in South Africa have stepped up efforts to pull out survivors and the corpses of illegal miners trapped underground for about two months, following one of the most extraordinary tragedies to hit the industry.

Carmakers in South Africa are imploring the local unit of ArcelorMittal SA and the country’s trade minister to work together to delay the planned closure of steel mills this month.

We are making our way on foot through Zimbabwe's Matobo National Park, and we are looking for rhinos.The group is wired, all members excited by the fact that we are walking through the home of wild animals that weigh multiple tons and are said to be somewhat aggressive.

Bill Gates speaks out on three-hour sit-down with Trump at Mar-a-Lago - Microsoft co-founder says they discussed the president-elect’s interest in global health

Sydney researchers have found that Levofloxacin substantially reduces risk of drug-resistant tuberculosis. This discovery offers new hope against a disease that infects more than 400,000 people annually.