South African rescue workers retrieved 78 bodies from a disused gold mine in Stilfontein where hundreds of illegal extractors have been involved in a months-long standoff with the authorities. Civil rights groups said at least 100 people died from starvation after the mine was sealed off by the security forces to deny those underground access to food to force them to the surface.

The standoff between police and illegal miners in South Africa's Buffelsfontein Gold Mine has led to at least 87 deaths. Authorities faced criticism for cutting off food supplies, leading to charges of starvation and dehydration.