Illegal gold mining in South Africa has left 36 people dead in an underground fire, Harmony Gold Mining Co. reported on Monday.

Illegal miners managed to retrieve 36 bodies at its Eland shaftin central Free State province, said Harmany, one of the top gold producers in the world.

In its statement, the company described the 36 victims as "criminal miners," saying their bodies "have been brought to surface at the shaft during the past weekend by fellow criminal miners, reportedly following an underground fire in an abandoned area."

The dead miners apparently suffocated in an underground fire at a disused gold mine, where noxious gases collect, according to the company.

Underground fire already killed 23 illegal miners in 2007, also in Free State province.

In another development, the company reported 294 criminal miners were arrested in a two-week crackdown on illegal mining.

Police said the detainees include South African miners and those from neighboring Lesotho and Mozambique.

Source:Xinhua