Three miners are unaccounted for after the Lily Mine in Mpumalanga’s Nkomazi area collapsed on Friday morning.
Jacques Ainslie, a paramedic from Hi-Tech Ambulance Services, who is currently on the scene, said that they received a call at about 08:30 this morning regarding the collapsed mine.
“One of the shafts collapsed and trapped about 52 mine workers. At this stage 70% of the workers or 30 have been rescued. No one sustained serious injuries and they could all walk out of the shaft. They have been transported to local hospitals for treatment,” said Ainslie.
However, three men are still unaccounted for and Ainslie said that it is suspected that they may still be trapped in the room where the collapse started.
“We have not been able to find these three men but the mine rescue team are still on their way. At this stage the area is very unstable. Thus far there have been no confirmed deaths,” said Ainslie.
It is unknown what caused the mine to collapse.
When contacted for comment at their Mbombela offices, the Vantage Goldfields, operators of Lily Mine, declined to give comment on the matter, stating that a press statement would be issued at a later stage.
Source: News24
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