/ 19 February 2014

Two illegal miners die, one body trapped underground

As Ekurhuleni mayoral spokesperson has said that the incident was separate from that of the 25 illegal miners who were rescued from an abandoned mine shaft in Benoni.
As Ekurhuleni mayoral spokesperson has said that the incident was separate from that of the 25 illegal miners who were rescued from an abandoned mine shaft in Benoni.

Two illegal miners have died in a mine shaft in Benoni, Ekurhuleni mayoral spokesperson Zweli Dlamini said on Tuesday.

Dlamini said the incident was separate from that of the 25 illegal miners who were rescued from an abandoned mine shaft in Benoni.

"It is two or three kilometres away from the other incident," he said.

One of the bodies was retrieved on Tuesday, while the other remained underground.

"The one body was brought up by miners themselves, the other body is trapped down there."

Dlamini said the police and the department of mineral resources knew about the two deaths since late last week.

He said that emergency rescue services were not tasked with retrieving these bodies, as operations of this nature were the competence of the companies operating the mines under the supervision of the department.

Many dangers involved
Dlamini explained that mine rescues were a specialised field as there were many dangers involved that required specialised training.

Also, as there were dead bodies involved, the scene was classified as a crime scene to be investigated by police.

He referred questions about the retrieval of the bodies to the department of mineral resources, but the department could not immediately be reached for comment.

It was not immediately clear when the illegal miners died. – Sapa