260 miners stuck underground after 'incident' at S.African shaft

An exigency conveyance arrives astatine a South African wherever 260 employees were stuck underground. Photo: Phill Magakoe / AFP
Source: AFP

Damage to a excavation shaft kept 260 miners stuck successful a golden excavation extracurricular Johannesburg overnight, the excavation manager and national said Friday.

Mining employs hundreds of thousands of radical successful South Africa -- the biggest exporter of platinum and a large exporter of gold, diamonds, ember and different earthy materials -- and accidents are common.

"All 260 employees person been accounted for, are harmless and person been provided with food," Sibanye-Stillwater said successful a statement.

"The employees are not trapped; it was decided to support them astatine the sub-shaft presumption for now," spokesperson Henrika Ninham said.

Sibanye-Stillwater said the miners should beryllium brought to aboveground astir midday Friday.

The National Union of Mineworkers said the incidental had occurred astir 10 americium (0800 GMT) connected Thursday and expressed interest for the miners who had been "underground for astir 20 hours".

Dozens of mineworkers are killed each year, though numbers person been falling arsenic information standards person been stepped up implicit the past 2 decades.

According to industry radical Minerals Council South Africa, 42 miners died successful 2024, compared to 55 the erstwhile year.

Source: AFP