Death toll rises to 61 in illegal gold mine in South Africa

JOHANNESBURG, June 2 -- The death toll in an illegal mine in South Africa has hit 61 as 25 more bodies were found on Tuesday, according to reports here.

The reports said the bodies of another 25 illegal miners had been retrieved.

Harmony Gold Mining Co. said on Monday that the illegal mining left 36 people dead in an underground fire.

Illegal miners managed to retrieve 36 bodies at its Eland shaft in central Free State province, said Harmany, one of the top gold producers in the world.

In its statement, the company described the 36 victims as "criminal miners," saying their bodies "have been brought to surface at the shaft during the past weekend by fellow criminal miners, reportedly following an underground fire in an abandoned area."

The dead miners apparently suffocated in an underground fire at a disused gold mine, where noxious gases collect, according to the company.

Underground fire already killed 23 illegal miners in 2007, also in Free State province.

In another development, the company reported 294 criminal miners were arrested in a two-week crackdown on illegal mining.

Police said the detainees include South African miners and those from neighboring Lesotho and Mozambique.