Since Monday, 36 bodies have been recovered from an illegal gold mine in South Africa and 82 people have been captured alive. In October, police blocked supplies of food, water and medicine to underground gold miners in an attempt to drive them out.

On Thursday, a letter surfaced claiming there were 109 bodies underground. A video circulated by the NGO Mining Affected Communities United Action (Macua) appears to show more than 50 wrapped bodies lying in the tunnel.

Another video showed an emaciated man begging for food and being rescued. Macua claimed that between 400 and 800 people were still trapped underground before operations began at the Buffelsfontein mine near Stilfontein, about 100 miles southwest of Johannesburg.

Police launch action Varaugodi (Closing the Loopholes) by the end of 2023 to put an end to illegal mining. In early November, they said they had blocked the delivery of essential supplies into the mines around Steelfontein, forcing hundreds of miners to come to the surface since mid-October due to "hunger and dehydration". Later in November and December they allowed some supplies to be shipped.

South African authorities have repeatedly argued that the miners were free to return to the surface and that those who remained underground were doing so to avoid arrest, noting that more than 1,500 people had escaped from another mine in the area. Activists claim the two mines are not connected underground.

"I'm happy, but at the same time scared because I don't know what will happen," Zinzi Tom told local TV station eNCA on Monday. His brother Ayanda was reportedly still underground on Tuesday morning.

"(The government) said they were going to 'kick them out,' and indeed they kicked them out...so I'm not too good, but I'm hoping for the best," said Tom, who launched the campaign last week An emergency court action was filed in response to a letter claiming 109 people had died.

Authorities later launched a rescue operation, which they said could take up to 16 days.

Illegal mining has flourished in South Africa's northeastern mining belt in recent years as industrial mines have been depleted and abandoned. There are about 30,000 become Experts estimate that 10% of South Africa's gold production is produced in 6,000 abandoned mines, often controlled by violent criminal groups.

A private company called Mine Rescue Services is operating a crane winch cage that can transport six people to the surface per hour. However, only local volunteers walked down Buffelsfontein's 1.2-mile shaft.

"It's too risky for private or state workers to go down with the cages because it's known that some stay "They are heavily armed and some of them claim they are being held against their will," said Makhosonke Buthelezi, spokesman for the Ministry of Mineral Resources and Energy.

He said the miners were either arrested or taken to hospital where they would recover before being detained.

Reuters contributed to this report