South Africa rescues all 260 miners stuck underground
Mining employs hundreds of thousands of people in South Africa but accidents are common. (EPA Images pic)
WESTONARIA : Rescuers yesterday pulled out all 260 mine workers who had been stuck for more than 24 hours in an underground shaft in South Africa, the mine's operator said.
The miners were trapped underground on Thursday at the Kloof gold mine, 60km west of Johannesburg, after a hoist used to access the shaft was damaged in an accident, the mining company Sibanye-Stillwater said.
The first phase of the rescue brought 79 people to the surface by 1.30pm while the rest were rescued six hours later, it said in a statement.
'At no point was there any risk of injury to employees during the incident,' it said.
A decision had been made against using the emergency escape routes which would have involved the miners walking longer distances, it added.
The gold mine is one of the deepest operated by the Johannesburg Stock Exchange-listed company.
Desperate relatives of the miners waited outside the site during the rescue efforts, most of them expressing shock at the incident, local television footage showed.
'All affected employees will also undergo thorough medical examinations, if required, while support has also been extended to employees' families,' the mining company said.
The National Union of Mineworkers said the incident happened around 10am on Thursday.
It expressed concern for the miners who had been 'underground for almost 20 hours'.
Sibanye-Stillwater had said earlier that the miners would be brought to the surface around midday yesterday.
'The employees are not trapped; it was decided to keep them at the sub-shaft station for now,' spokesman Henrika Ninham said.
Mining employs hundreds of thousands of people in South Africa, which is the biggest exporter of platinum and a major exporter of gold, diamonds, coal and other raw materials.
But accidents are common.
Dozens of mine workers are killed each year, though the numbers have been falling as safety standards have been stepped up over the past two decades.
According to industry group Minerals Council South Africa, 42 miners died in 2024, compared to 55 the previous year.
Sibanye-Stillwater chief executive Neal Froneman said yesterday they would not resume operations 'until we are confident that all the necessary remedial actions have been implemented'.
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