News headlines


AP
 
Carletonville, Oct 4:
Some 3,000 gold miners were trapped a mile underground on Wednesday October 3, when falling pipe damaged the elevator, but the company began rescuing workers through a smaller shaft and estimated it would take 10 hours to get them all out.

There were no injuries and there was no immediate danger to any of the workers in Harmony Gold Mining Co.'s Elandsrand Mine, company and union officials said.

Peter Bailey, health and safety chairman for the National Mineworkers Union, said the first 74 men reached the surface shortly after 1 am on Thursday October 4. "They are all doing well," he said.

The miners were trapped at a level slightly more than a mile underground when a column of water pipes fell down an elevator shaft causing extensive damage to the steel framework and electrical cables. Miners had to be evacuated with a smaller cage in another shaft.

Sethiri Thibile, one of the first miners rescued, clutched a cold beef sandwich and a bottle of water he was given when he reached the surface.

"I was hungry, though we were all hungry," said Thibile, 32, an engineering assistant who had been underground since 5 am on Wednesday. He said there was no food or water in the mine.

"Most of the people are scared and we also have some women miners there underground," said Thibile.

After Thibile's group rescued, Harmony's acting chief executive Graham Briggs told The Associated Press that another 75 would be evacuated shortly, and after that they would be brought to the surface at intervals of every 25 to 30 minutes.

"It's going to take some time because we are doing it carefully," he said, adding the rescue could take 10 hours. "Nobody is injured, nobody is hurt, nothing like that at all."

Deon Boqwana, regional chairman for the union, said there was ventilation for the miners waiting below ground and officials were in contact with the men by a telephone line in the mine.

"They are still in good condition but are angry, hungry, frustrated and want to get out of there," Boqwana said.

He said the miners were a little over a mile below the surface in a mine that at some points is about a 1 1/2 miles deep. The mine is outside Carletonville, a town near Johannesburg.

Boqwana said the smaller cage being used to bring miners out can hold about 75 miners at a time. He said it normally takes three minutes to reach the surface but would be slower because rescuers were being careful. He said the evacuation would take about 10 hours.

Bailey, the union health chairman, said the miners were "very afraid," hungry and thirsty after being underground for hours.

"Some of these mineworkers started duty on Tuesday evening. It is now Wednesday night and they are still underground," he said.

A spokesman for the union, Lesiba Seshoka, said charged that the mine was not properly maintained.

"Our guys there tell us that they have raised concerns about the whole issue of maintenance of shafts with the mine (managers) but they have not been attended to," he said.

Briggs rejected union criticism about safety conditions, and said the shaft was in very good condition with a lot of new infrastructure.

Last year, 199 mineworkers died in accidents, mostly rock falls, the government Mine Health and Safety Council reported in September. 

  

Top Stories

Comment on this article

  • Joe D'Souza, Mangalore

    Sun, Oct 07 2007

    Some time back I wrote comments regarding how people consider some as heroes and others not so. A soldier dies,or a Air force Pilot dies,automatically they are heroes. Whole town comes to funeral,along with hundreds of Journalists and Cameramen. Politician shows up with big talk and Eulogy.

    True and Sad, they died for the country,so as the Miners die for the country too. They are not feared of death when they go to high risk job,down the shaft into a dark cave where they may be burried alive. They do it to provide Iron Ore to make steel for Armored vehicles for Army. Miner,who goes one mile down the shaft without fearing for His life,to mine Gold,so that Air force planes will have Gold plated Electrical parts. Miner dies in accident, never He will be considered hero but He will be another number in Billion Population.

     I have worked with these Miners in Kolar Gold Fields in 60's. I have not feared for my life but did the job. If the Air Compressor fails,no air to breath. If pumps fail,the shaft will be flooded, and worst it could be collapse of soil which will trap Miners without food,water air or light. Worst would be the air blast of dynamite which will tear the blaster into pieces.

     When a Miner goes down the shaft,He may not see the day light again,or His' might be the last hug to his wife and children. His body might not come back in one piece but just parts of it along with some dirt inside the nailed tight coffin. Dear God,the Miner died and none cared. I hope you care to save these 3000 miners from death. Do not let the hopes of the family and comrades to dwindle.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse

  • Nelson Lewis, Karkala/Bombay/Kingdom of Bahrain

    Fri, Oct 05 2007

    I only hope that Almighty God rescues all the 3,000 miners who are trapped in a mine a mile below the surface of the earth. These are one of the true and unsung heroes who put their lives on the block without expecting anything in return, except the wages that they are due for. They can proudly puff up their chests and say, we are giving everything for the country - because probably this must be the only source of their livelihood with nothing to depend upon.

    DisAgree Agree Reply Report Abuse


Leave a Comment

Title: News headlines



You have 2000 characters left.

Disclaimer:

Please write your correct name and email address. Kindly do not post any personal, abusive, defamatory, infringing, obscene, indecent, discriminatory or unlawful or similar comments. Daijiworld.com will not be responsible for any defamatory message posted under this article.

Please note that sending false messages to insult, defame, intimidate, mislead or deceive people or to intentionally cause public disorder is punishable under law. It is obligatory on Daijiworld to provide the IP address and other details of senders of such comments, to the authority concerned upon request.

Hence, sending offensive comments using daijiworld will be purely at your own risk, and in no way will Daijiworld.com be held responsible.