South Africa Miners Trapped Underground

Jan. 13, 2000
Nine miners in South Africa, trapped more than a mile underground, were believed to be alive yesterday morning.

Rescuers managed to pass food and water through a narrow, twisting pipe yesterday to a group of miners trapped more than a mile underground.

Nine of the 15 miners trapped inside the African Rainbow Minerals gold mine in Orkney, South Africa 110 miles southwest of Johannesburg, were believed to be alive on Wednesday morning, a National Union of Mineworkers representative said.

Rescue teams said at least four miners had died.

Rescue teams made voice contact late Tuesday with the miners who were trapped 1 1/4 miles underground by a cave-in on Monday.

Rescuers removed at least 160 tons of broken rock to get near the miners.

An earth tremor triggered the cave-in, company officials said.

Of the trapped miners, eight were from Lesotho, two from Mozambique, one from Swaziland and four from South Africa.

Sponsored Recommendations

ISO 45001: Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems (OHSMS)

March 28, 2024
ISO 45001 certification – reduce your organizational risk and promote occupational health and safety (OHS) by working with SGS to achieve certification or migrate to the new standard...

Want to Verify your GHG Emissions Inventory?

March 28, 2024
With the increased focus on climate change, measuring your organization’s carbon footprint is an important first action step. Our Green House Gas (GHG) verification services provide...

Download Free ESG White Paper

March 28, 2024
The Rise and Challenges of ESG – Your Journey to Enhanced Sustainability, Brand and Investor Potential

Free Webinar: Mining & ESG: The Sustainability Mandate

March 28, 2024
Participants in this webinar will understand the business drivers and challenges of ESG and sustainability performance, the 5 steps of the ESG and sustainability cycle, and prioritized...

Voice your opinion!

To join the conversation, and become an exclusive member of EHS Today, create an account today!