Authorities in Orkney, Klerksdorp, have their work cut out for them in trying to piece together the case of 20 bodies that were found at an abandoned mine shaft this week.
Orkney horror: Police detail how 20 bodies were found
In a statement, police spokesperson Brigadier Sabata Mokgwabone revealed how the decomposing corpses of 20 unidentified males were discovered in two locations in Orkney, a mining town outside Klerksdorp.
While it’s unclear how the police were called to the first crime scene, Brig. Mokgwabone confirmed that the first five bodies were found on Monday evening, “outside an old and unused mine shaft ventilation in Lawrence Park.”
Police would revisit the site and find the charred remains of another male, bringing the tally to six corpses. A day later, police were called out to Ariston Road, near the railway line in Orkney, where 14 more bodies had been discovered.
“All the deceased are suspected to be illegal miners commonly known as Zama Zamas operating in obsolete shafts in Orkney and Stilfontein. Furthermore, the deceased suffered severe body burns,” Mokgwabone noted.
While preliminary indications suggest that the victims were killed by an explosion, no traces or fragments of such a device have been found. Bizarrely, the 20 bodies were wrapped in grain bags when police found them.
“Investigation into the matter continues and it includes the possibility of linking the incident with the video that was circulated on social media platforms wherein a man calling himself “Mafifi” was seen pleading for assistance following an apparent smoke inhalation occurrence at shaft number six,” the police revealed.
Mine owner: ‘There could be more dead bodies underground’
The mine in question is the property of China Africa Precious Metals (CAPM) and according to its manager Isaac Tshabalala, the company has struggled for years to restart operations due to the large-scale illegal mining activities at their shafts.
Speaking to SABC News, Isaacs revealed that there may be more bodies to dig out of the abandoned ventilation shafts.
“We suspect that there are still some more bodies underground. We can’t confirm the number but I heard the number 37 being mentioned on Monday. If 37 is the right number, then it means we still have got 17 more to come out, if that is the number,” he said.
Police are currently at work, trying to return the bodies to their respective families in a horror investigation that will haunt Orkney for a long time to come.