South Africa’s government faces criticism after cutting off food and water to illegal miners underground, leading to at least 78 deaths and over 100 others presumed dead from starvation at the Stilfontein mine.

Rescuers have saved 166 people following a court-ordered operation, with survivors described as severely emaciated.

Unions and opposition parties have condemned the government’s handling, calling it a display of negligence.

The government defends its actions as part of a crackdown on illegal mining, which costs the country over $1 billion annually, CNN has reported.

An estimated 100,000 artisanal miners, known as “zama zamas,” often face dangerous conditions and violent turf wars.

Written by B.C. Begley