Newspaper headlines screamed “Bloodbath,” “Killing Field” and “Mine Slaughter,” with graphic photographs of heavily armed white and black police officers walking casually past the bloodied corpses of black men lying crumpled in the dust. The images, showing a phalanx of officers opening fire with automatic weapons on a small group of men in blankets and T-shirts, rekindled uncomfortable memories of South Africa’s racist past. 

Police chief Mangwashi Victoria Phiyega said 34 miners died and another 78 were wounded when police tried to move 3,000 striking drill operators armed with machetes and sticks from a rocky outcrop at the mine, 100 kilometers northwest of Johannesburg.

The chief said that her forces opened fire in self-defense after coming under attack by armed mine workers, according to AFP.

“Police retreated systematically and were forced to utilize maximum force to defend themselves.” The wildcat strike started on Aug. 10 as about 3,000 workers demanded that London-listed Lonmin triple their wages from the current monthly salary of 486 Euros. Ten people, including two police, had been killed in the lead up to the deadly raid on Aug. 16 as the strike degenerated into clashes between the unions.