Pretoria - The Department of Mineral Resources has noted with sadness that eight bodies were recovered at Harmony’s Doornkop Gold Mine, following a fall of ground incident, which caused a fire and trapped workers underground.
One missing worker had still not been found at the time of issuing the statement.
“The situation is deeply regrettable. The health and safety of workers is of paramount importance to us as the Regulator of this sector.
“We must ensure that we do all we can to get to the bottom of what caused this incident, in order to prevent similar occurrences in future,” Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said on Thursday.
The Department’s Chief Inspector of Mines, who has been on site with a team of health and safety inspectors since the incident occurred, has indicated that once the last missing worker has been found, the search and rescue time will need to ensure the fire has been properly extinguished, then an in loco inspection can be conducted.
The results of this inspection will determine what further steps will be taken by the department.
According to a statement by Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited, the fire was reported in a stope (an underground space produced by mining) adjacent to 192 level haulage (some 1 733m underground) around 6pm on Tuesday, 4 February 2014, following a seismic event that triggered a fall of ground.
“Rescue teams were immediately dispatched underground, but access to the affected area was hampered by smoke and a fall of ground.
“At around 07:00 on 5 February, rescue workers located eight employees in an underground refuge chamber, and they were brought to surface, unharmed by 11:00,” said the statement.
They were kept under medical observation on Wednesday as a precautionary measure.
However, the rescue teams continued the search for the remaining nine miners who were still unaccounted for. The underground fire was subdued by Wednesday evening, although conditions underground remained a challenge.
This morning, eight bodies were recovered at the mine.
Harmony’s CEO Graham Briggs, the board and management extend their condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the men who died.
All operations other than essential services have been suspended at the mine.
The department and Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited will continue to provide updates as they become available. – SAnews.gov.za
