Earthquake hits South African gold mine, leaving 4 dead and several missing
At least 4 people have been killed and several are still missing after a M2.2 earthquake caused a cave-in at Sibanye-Stillwater's Masakhane mine, west of Johannesburg, South Africa on May 3, 2018. More tremors were felt in the area on May 4.
The company said a quake measuring M2.2 on the Richter scale was recorded at the mine, trapping 13 people.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM), which previously accused the company of negligence, said it was angry at the latest incident, eNCA reports.
The event is the latest in a series of mishaps in recent months at Sibanye-Stillwater's mines that have left workers killed, injured or trapped, the report states.
Sibanye-Stillwater said in an updated statement that six of the rescued employees are in the hospital and another has been located, while two employees remain unaccounted for.
On May 4, more tremors were felt in the area – M2.1 and M3.4, leading to search and rescue operations being temporarily halted.
[BREAKING] #TrappedMiners Another seismic event has occurred at the same site as the one yesterday. According to a listing on the chart in the Sibanye Stillwater boardroom in Driefontein it measures 2.1 on the Richter scale.
— Erin Bates (@ermbates) May 4, 2018
#TrappedMiners There were in fact two recent seismic events now, one of which was about three kilometres from where the rescue team had been, the other larger one measuring 3.4 on the Richter scale and some distance away. Both occurred at around 14:10 today.
— Erin Bates (@ermbates) May 4, 2018
Trade union NEHAWU has called for the total shutdown of all Sibanye Stillwater operations up until they can guarantee the safety of workers.
Featured image: Sibanye-Stillwater
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