Why did 87 people die in South Africa? - The tragedy at the abandoned gold mine near Stilfontein began to unfold in August

The prospectors were trapped underground for months as police, on orders from South Africa’s government, attempted to starve them out.

First responders pulled dozens of bodies and hundreds of emaciated survivors from an abandoned gold mine this week, bringing a grisly end to a months-long standoff with illegal miners and their families.