Rights groups are criticizing South Africa’s government for failing to prevent what they call a “massacre” at the Buffelsfontein mine, after security officials cut off food, water, and other essential supplies to miners trapped underground and delayed a rescue operation.

In South Africa a months long standoff between police and illegal miners in an abandoned gold mine comes to end, with close to 80 found dead in grim recovery operation.

South Africa's police have launched a manhunt for an alleged "kingpin", who is accused of controlling operations at an abandoned gold mine where 78 corpses were discovered last week. The police force said officials had helped James Neo Tshoaeli,

The miners are suspected to have died of starvation and dehydration, although no causes of death have been released.

A suspected gang leader known as "Tiger" escaped with the help of South African police after being pulled from an illegal gold mine last week where at least 78 miners died, the police said on Monday.

No more illegal miners are believed to be trapped underground at a gold mine in South Africa, volunteers working with rescue teams have said.

South African police say a suspected illegal gold mining ringleader escaped from custody with help from police officers about a week after resurfacing from a disused mine in South Africa where 246 survivors were rescued and 78 bodies were retrieved

By Nellie Peyton JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -South African police are hunting a gang leader from Lesotho believed to have controlled operations at an illegal gold mine where 78 bodies were recovered last week after months of police siege.

The man known as 'Tiger' is on the run after surfacing from a Stilfontein mine last week. Tshoeali is believed to have been one of the leaders of the illegal underground activity there. WATCH: Who dropped the ball ?