''We call it the zama graveyard': 4 brothers among more than 40 killed in blast", 19 May 2017

Mapuya's four brothers - 28-year-old twins and their siblings aged 24 and 22 - were killed instantly along with more than 40 other zama zamas (illegal miners) in a suspected methane gas explosion 3km underground in a decommissioned Harmony Gold mine in Welkom, Free State...[D]ozens were instantly vaporised or burnt beyond recognition. Some of those whose bodies have been found so far were identified by name tags on their bodies under clear sticky tape..."We call it the zama [illegal miners] graveyard,'' says a Welkom forensic services officer. "Every week we collect bodies. The miners send a signal and we go out to collect the bodies. Most are beyond recognition. That's from the heat, crush injuries from rock falls or diseases."...Lauren Fourie, Harmony Gold spokesman, said: "The illegal miners that weren't affected by the blast took the bodies of those who were killed to Eland shaft. They then alerted security and security alerted police."