South African officials will arrest hundreds of miners trapped in an abandoned illegal gold mine, the country’s mining minister said, despite a judge’s warning that the ordeal risks turning into “the darkest point” in the country’s history following dozens of deaths.

Authorities moved in after a monthslong standoff that drew criticism from human rights groups but praise from some South Africans.

Footage provided by illegal miners who escaped weeks of being trapped underground after a police raid showed dozens of dead bodies and other miners clinging to life with ribs showing from lack of food or water.

The South African government has launched a rescue operation at an abandoned gold mine in the country’s North West province, where at least 109 men have died, a group representing the miners said, after local authorities cut off vital supplies in a dramatic bid to crack down on the country’s illegal mining trade.