Police have confirmed that a decomposed body of an illegal miner was brought up to the surface at an old mine in Stilfontein, North West, on Thursday.
Police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said circumstances surrounding the death of the illegal miner were under investigation.
"We can confirm that as of 2pm this afternoon [Thursday], a total of 1,173 illegal miners have since resurfaced," she said. "We do have a decomposed body that was brought up this afternoon [Thursday]," she said.
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She said an inquest into the man's death has been registered. "The pathologist have arrived and our detectives are also at the scene," Mathe said.
The body was retrieved by community volunteers who have been assisting those who are trapped underground to resurface using a rope.
Police have refused to enter the shaft to retrieve those underground, citing safety concerns.
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