20 Dead In Suspected Gas Explosion

While police investigate the deaths of 20 illegal miners, it’s suspected there may be many more dead and injured.

The grim discovery of the bodies was made near Orkney in the North West.

It’s believed an underground gas explosion caused the tragedy at a disused mine shaft.

Police say the bodies were found in a state of decomposition and had significant burn wounds. 

The National Association of Artisanal Ministers (NAAM) received a video by an illegal miner from their members in the area.

“There’s about 200 more artisanal miners that are underground that have been injured and there are more fatalities but we are not sure of the numbers because the fatalities are on the different levels of the mine,” said NAAM’s Kgothatso Nhlengetwa.