The South African government has launched a rescue operation at an abandoned gold mine in the country’s North West province, where at least 109 men have died, a group representing the miners said, after local authorities cut off vital supplies in a dramatic bid to crack down on the country’s illegal mining trade.

Arguing that the miners had entered the mine without permission, authorities reportedly cracked down by cutting off their access to food and water.

At least 78 dead bodies have been pulled from an illegal gold mine in South Africa where police cut off food and water supplies for months, in what trade unions called a “horrific” crackdown on desper

Mali's military government is holding gold seized from Barrick Gold's Loulo-Gounkoto mine site at state-owned Banque Malienne de Solidarite (BMS), two sources said, as the miner pursues plans to suspend its operations in the country.

Canada’s Barrick Gold has suspended operations in Mali after the government seized gold from the company in an escalation of a dispute between the military junta and international mining groups. The Toronto and New York-listed company said in a statement that it had “regrettably initiated the temporary suspension of operations” at its Loulo-Gounkoto mining complex in the west African country.