Thirty-four people were killed after police opened fire on striking miners at a South African mine…the police chief has said. Riah Phiyega said police had been forced to shoot after armed protesters charged them, "firing shots", at the Marikana mine in the north-east. At least 78 people were injured in the confrontation, she added. Unions are demanding an inquiry into the incident - one of the bloodiest police operations since apartheid. The Lonmin-owned platinum mine has been at the centre of a violent pay dispute, exacerbated by tensions between two rival trade unions…The Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) accused the police of carrying out a massacre.