ANA reports that rescue and body retrieval operations were still under way on Monday afternoon at Gloria coal mine near Middelburg in Mpumalanga.
Business rescue practitioner Mike Elliot indicated that rescue workers were still trying to reach the underground area where people and the bodies of persons suspected to be cable thieves were located. About 20 people were trapped underground at the mine two weeks ago following an explosion that occurred while they were allegedly stealing copper cables. The bodies of five men were retrieved two weeks ago. A sixth man was brought to the surface alive and taken to the hospital where he was later discharged. On Thursday, rescue workers found seven more bodies underground, but did not retrieve them because of high methane gas levels. The situation was unusually quiet outside the mine on Monday afternoon with no sign of family members of the deceased or trapped people. Disgruntled Gloria mineworkers, who have been frequenting the mine in the past two weeks demanding to be paid their outstanding salaries, were also not present.
- Read the original of the report on this story in full at The Citizen
- Read too, Lawlessness at Gupta mines was behind deadly tragedy at Gloria Mine, at GroundUp
Get other news reports at the SA Labour News home page