South African authorities have announced the demise of at least 31 suspected illegal miners, believed to be from Lesotho, at an abandoned mine in Free State.

The Department of Mineral Resources in South Africa issued a statement stating that the Lesotho government notified them about the deaths, which occurred on May 18, within a mine ventilation shaft.

The Welkom mine in Free State was last operational in the 1990s, according to the department.

South Africa's Department of Mineral Resources says three bodies have been recovered from the mine by other illegal miners. It is however is collaborating with relevant stakeholders, including the previous owners of the mine, to recover the remaining bodies.

But inspectors, after conducting an assessment, have deemed the conditions too hazardous to send a team to the site.