At least 5 killed in South Africa mine explosion

The death toll at the Gloria coal mine in Mpumalanga, where an unknown number of illegal miners have been trapped since Monday, has risen to five, Mpumalanga police said on Thursday.

On Wednesday, one man, believed to be an illegal miner, died after an explosion at the shuttered mine.

Hlathi said four more bodies were brought to the surface in the early hours of Thursday morning.

State broadcaster SABC said about 20 people were still stuck underground at the mine in Middleburg.

Rescue efforts were hampered by dangerously high levels of toxic gas underground, SABC said.

The mine is owned by Tegeta Resources and Exploration, which is undergoing creditor protection after its owners, the Gupta brothers, found it difficult to continue doing business in South Africa following corruption allegations against them.

Several people had entered the mine on Wednesday afternoon to steal copper wires that supply electricity for lighting and ventilation when a gas pipe exploded, Hlati said.

"The mine is wired with copper. They were going for copper," Hlati said.

Copper is often stolen from disused mines in South Africa and sold for scrap.