A specialized mine rescue camera was lowered late last year into an almost 2.6-kilometer (1.6-mile) deep mineshaft in South Africa, where hundreds of illegal miners were reported to be trapped, starving, dehydrated and desperate to get out.
With no architectural plans of the actual mineshaft and its levels and tunnels, the camera reached 1,280 meters (4,200 feet) underground and gave rescuers their first visuals: A large group of illegal miners is seen standing around on a level, clearly waiting for help to arrive.
