Miners were all rescued. None suffered injuries, according to the mining company | Credits: Sibanye Stillwater Mining Co
About 260 miners trapped underground at a gold mine about an hour west of Johannesburg, South Africa, for over a day have been rescued. None of them is injured.
“All 260 miners trapped underground at Sibanye-Stillwater’s Kloof mine in Westonaria have been rescued,” Kaya News reported Saturday.
The miners were trapped due to a shaft failure, which caused damage to the hoisting infrastructure. The mining company, Sibanye Stillwater, said no one was injured but that all the miners would undergo medical evaluations.
“At no point was there any risk of injury to employees during the incident, which occurred when the skip door of the Kloof 7 sub-shaft rock winder opened at the loading point on Level 39, impacting Levels 40, 41 and below,” the mining company said in a press release.
Safety remains a priority
“Safety remains our core priority, and we will not resume operations until we are confident that all the necessary remedial actions have been implemented. I want to thank our management, mine rescue, and medical teams for their dedication in ensuring that our colleagues returned safely to their families,” Sibanye-Stillwater CEO Neal Froneman said.
Meanwhile, mining unions, the NUM and AMCU, have slammed the company, claiming it took long to report the incident. Work has resumed on site, as buses continue to drop off other miners at this shaft.
“Fortunately, there were no fatalities or injuries,” National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) Health and Safety Chairperson Duncan Luvuno told journalists at the site. “But for 24 hours, people were not eating or drinking anything. This is not adequate. Some have chronic diseases.”
Security guards barred journalists from getting anywhere near the mine shaft. Still, a Reuters reporter saw some of the miners, looking tired but in good health, walk to the perimeter of the company grounds and board buses.
According to Reuters, the Kloof mine, which accounts for 14 per cent of Sibanye’s total gold output, also operates two other shafts. The company mines platinum-group metals in South Africa and the United States as well.
Mining accidents are not uncommon in South Africa, where informal diggers have taken over many abandoned mines. Earlier this year, at least 78 bodies were pulled from an illegal gold mine after police cut off food and water supplies for months in an attempt to crack down on illegal mining activity.
