Six workers were killed in a tunnel at an Eskom construction site near Ladysmith, KwaZulu-Natal, when the platform on which they were working collapsed yesterday morning.
Seven people were injured, Eskom acting spokesman Andrew Etzinger said at a press conference yesterday. Three of the injured were in a critical condition and four had already been discharged from hospital, he said.
Etzinger said contrary to initial reports, the tunnel in which the men were working was not damaged. The men were welding and grouting on a platform in one of four tunnels when the accident happened.
"For some reason, the platform got loose and rolled down the tunnel," said Etzinger
He could not, however, say how far the platform fell.
Etzinger said all the six people who died were contractors and not Eskom employees.
The Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme, which is under construction, is expected to go "live" next year and involves pumping water up the Drakensberg mountains from the Braamhoek Dam to the Bedford Dam during off-peak hours, an elevation of about 470m.
Water will then be released through the tunnels to flow down during peak hours, generating electricity.
Etzinger said all 3387 workers on site were evacuated. The site would be shut down until investigations had been completed.
"We won't leave any stone unturned to find out what happened," he said.
The police, including members of the search-and-rescue unit, were also on the scene.
Etzinger expressed condolences to the families of those who died.
Counselling would be provided to those who needed it, he said.
He could not provide more details about those who died or were injured as "not all of their families had been contacted".
He said Eskom CEO Brian Dames would visit the site and hold a press conference in Johannesburg later.
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