At least 100 people have reportedly died in an illegal South African gold mine as rescue operations continue

Six more bodies have been recovered from an illegal gold mine in South Africa, where dozens of people have reportedly died underground since authorities tried to force them out and seal the mine in November, CBS News partner BBC News reported. Eight people were rescued alive on Tuesday and 26 were pulled out on Monday, the BBC reported.

More than 100 people who mined illegally in the abandoned mine have reportedly died since the crackdown began, a group representing the miners told British television channel Sky News. Claiming that the miners had entered without permission, the authorities denied access to food and water in the action, the BBC reported.

Last week, the court ordered the government to facilitate the rescue operation.

Videos that appear to have been taken on mobile phones inside the mine and brought to the surface by rescuers show what appear to be emaciated people and corpses wrapped in makeshift body bags. CBS News could not independently verify the videos.

The General Industries Workers of South Africa union, also known as “Giwusa,” released one video that CBS News could not independently confirm, showing dozens of men sitting on the floor with an off-camera voice saying they were hungry and needed help.

“We are starting to show you the bodies of those who died underground,” said a voice in the video. “And this is not everyone… Do you see how people are struggling? Please – we need help.”

At a briefing on Monday, Giwusa leaders called the situation at the mine a “massacre,” the BBC reported.

“This footage shows a pile of human bodies, miners who died needlessly,” Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei said.

South Africa’s Department of Mineral Resources told the BBC that Monday’s rescue operation involved lowering cages into the mine, which was designed to hold six or seven people. He says the cage goes up and down the shaft every hour.