The dead bodies seen in the videos from a disused shaft

Disturbing videos have emerged showing the dire situation at a disused gold mine in South Africa where dozens of illegal miners have been living underground for months.

They have been there since police operations targeting illegal mining began last year across the country.

In one of the videos, which the BBC has not independently verified, corpses wrapped in makeshift bags can be seen. A second shows the emaciated figures of some miners who are still alive.

A long-delayed rescue operation, which last week a court ordered the government to facilitate, began on Monday.

This story contains an image that some people may find distressing.

Last year, arguing that the miners entered the shaft in Stilfontein deliberately without permission, the authorities took a hard line, blocking food and water.

In November, a government minister said: “We have to smoke outside.”

More than 100 of the illegal miners, known locally as “zama zamas”, have died underground since the crackdown began at the mine about 145 km (90 miles) southwest of Johannesburg.

The authorities, however, have not confirmed this figure as it must be “verified by an official source”, a spokesman told the BBC.

Hundreds are thought to still be in the mine while more than 1,000 have surfaced in recent months.

In one of the videos released by a union, the General Industries Workers of South Africa (Giwusa), dozens of shirtless men can be seen sitting on a dirty floor. Their faces were blurred. A male voice off camera can be heard saying that the men are hungry and need help.

“We started showing you the bodies of those who died underground,” he says.

“And that’s not all… See how people are struggling? Please we need help.”

In the other video, a man says, “This is hunger; people are dying because of hunger.” He then puts the death toll at 96 and asks for help, food and supplies.

The union says the footage was filmed on Saturday.

In a briefing held on Monday near the site of the rescue operation, the Giwusa leadership, alongside community figures, said the videos shared “paint a very dire picture” of the situation underground.

“What transpired here must be called what it is; this is a Stilfontein massacre. Because what this footage shows is a pile of human bodies, of miners who died needlessly,” said Giwusa president Mametlwe Sebei .

He blamed the authorities for what he described as a “treacherous policy” that was deliberately pursued.

The Department of Mineral Resources, which is leading the rescue effort, told the BBC that Monday’s operation included taking down a cage that was hoisted once loaded with people.

This structure is designed to hold six or seven people, depending on their weight, according to Giwusa. He went into the tree – going down about 2 km – every hour. The union said that by the end of Monday 26 miners had been brought up alive, with new bodies.

The spokesperson for the Department of Mineral Resources Makhosonke Buthelezi could not confirm whether the priority will be to recover those who had died or those who need medical assistance.

A briefing will be held by the department, along with the police ministry, on Tuesday to provide an update on the operation.