The miners are suspected to have died of starvation and dehydration
Seventy-eight bodies were retrieved in the rescue operation
The death toll in a monthslong standoff between police and miners trapped while working illegally underground at an abandoned gold mine in South Africa has risen to at least 87, police said on Thursday as they wound down a rescue operation that has pulled more than 240 survivors out from deep underground.
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National police spokesperson Athlenda Mathe said that 78 bodies were retrieved from the mine in an official rescue operation that began on Monday, while another nine had been recovered previously.
The miners are suspected to have died of starvation and dehydration. Authorities believe nearly 2,000 miners were underground working illegally at the Buffelsfontein Gold Mine southwest of Johannesburg since August last year. Many resurfaced on their own.
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