The bodies of 13 more people have been brought to the surface at Gloria Coal Mine in Middelburg in Mpumalanga following a gas explosion earlier this month.
The retrieval of the bodies on Friday brings to 18 the number of bodies recovered so far from the Gupta-owned mine.
Mpumalanga police spokesperson, Brigadier Leonard Hlathi said the workers could not continue with the operations due to the severe smoke which prohibited them, and they will apparently go down again on Monday.
"An inquest docket has been opened for investigation. We are also investigating a case of trespassing in relation to this incident," he said”
Hlathi did not immediately say what the cause of the smoke was but referred further inquiries to the mine’s management.
It is understood that about 20 people, who were trapped underground about three weeks ago when an explosion occurred, were allegedly stealing cables.
- African News Agency (ANA)
