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JOHANNESBURG (AP) — Rescue efforts are underway in South Africa
to bring 260 workers trapped in a gold mine for a day back to
the surface, the Sibanye Stillwater mining company said on
Friday.
According to the company, an initial investigation showed that a
sub-shaft rock winder skip door opened at the loading point and
caused some damage to the mineshaft at the Kloof mine, west of
Johannesburg.
“Following a detailed risk assessment, it was decided that
employees should remain at the sub-shaft station until it is
safe to proceed to the surface, in order to avoid walking long
distances at this time,” the company said in a statement.
The National Union of Mineworkers, which represents workers at
the Kloof mine, said the miners have been trapped for almost 24
hours, with the company repeatedly changing the estimated time
for them to return to the surface.
"We are very concerned because the mine did not even make this
incident public until we reported it to the media,” said NUM
spokesman Livhuwani Mammburu.
The company said all miners were accounted for and safe, adding
that it expected to hoist them back to the surface on Friday.
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