JOHANNESBURG - Two South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members who slipped and fell into an abandoned mine shaft in West Johannesburg have died.
Their bodies were retrieved after specialised emergency response units conducted a search and rescue operation on Friday afternoon.
This was confirmed by the Department of Defence and Military Veterans spokesperson, Siphiwe Dlamini, who said the process to identify the deceased is currently underway.
“The names of the members will be released once their families have been fully informed,” Dlamini said.
The incident happened at about 6am while the soldiers were conducting an anti-illegal mining operation at an unused mine.
READ | Rescue operation launched for two SANDF members trapped in abandoned mine
Police spokesperson Brenda Muridili said the SANDF members spotted suspected illegal miners exiting the underground workings.
She added that the highly complex underground conditions needed specialised resources to be mobilised to the scene to assist with the rescue.