JOHANNESBURG – Mpumalanga police are investigating the circumstances that led to the deaths of two illegal miners at Lily mine near Barberton.

It’s understood the pair was found in a shaft at the non-operating mine on Thursday.

In 2016 the mine halted operations to retrieve the bodies of three mineworkers who have been trapped underground due to financial difficulties.

Illegal miners have become more frequent since operations stopped at the mine.

The police’s Leonard Hlathi said, “We were informed by the community and then we set off. Indeed the bodies were recovered yesterday; hence the operation which we arrested only one person from Mozambique who is undocumented. We are going to charge him with trespassing and we also found dagga on him.”

Pretty Nkambule, Yvonne Mnisi and Solomon Nyarende have been trapped for four years.

Family members and co-workers started going underground in an attempt to recover the bodies of the three, last month.

IOL