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.

JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) - South African rescuers have pulled at least 60 bodies from the Stilfontein gold mine over two days, police said in a statement late on Tuesday.