Rescuers get more than 600 Gold One workers to safety after underground fire
More than 600 mineworkers were successfully rescued after an underground fire at the Gold One mine in Springs on Thursday‚ the Department of Mineral Resources has said. A statement from Mineral Resources Minister Gwede Mantashe said the blaze occurred at Gold One’s Modder East operations in the early hours of the morning. "At the time of the accident‚ 644 employees were underground. All of the employees evacuated to the mine’s refuge bays‚ where they were rescued from and brought to surface‚" the statement read. Mantashe commended rescue teams for the speedy operation.
"We commend all the rescue teams involved‚ as well as the mine employees and management‚ for their swift action in ensuring that we avert a potential disaster‚" he said. "We reiterate our call to mining companies to prioritise the safety of mineworkers‚ and to ensure that everyone adheres to the guidelines provided for safety at the mines‚" he said. This incident comes a little more than a week after six minewor...
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