The body of one of the five mine workers trapped underground at AngloGold Ashanti’s Tau Tona mine near Carletonville has been found, the company said on Wednesday afternoon.
This, coupled with conditions at the scene, offered little hope that the remaining four miners will be found alive, said spokesperson Steve Lenahan.
Rescue workers have been working ”tirelessly” for 48 hours since the fall of ground caused by two tremors of 1,9 and 2,3 magnitude on the Richter scale at about 2pm on Monday.
”The work of the rescue teams will continue in search of the remaining four miners.”
Lenahan said all families of the miners involved were notified and offered assistance with transport to the mine.
Names will only be released at the consent of family members.
”The company again expresses its sympathy to the families of the missing miners.”
The two miners rescued shortly after the incident on Monday remain in hospital.
”The one who suffered a back injury remains in a stable condition in hospital, while the other is being treated for minor injuries.”
The company said the damage took place in a production panel on 97 level, 2 700m below surface.
Reacting to Monday’s rockburst, Minister of Minerals and Energy Buyelwa Sonjica said the number of miners killed underground in South Africa was ”totally unacceptable”.
”Gold mines, which have reached a [production] plateau, are the worst performers and have deteriorated by 18,5% from a fatality rate per million hours worked of 0,27 to 0,32.”
Sonjica said that in recent months coal and other mines had also shown no sign of improvement. This despite goals set in 2003 to decrease mine-related injuries by 20% per annum.
In January, three miners died and four others were injured, two seriously, in a rockfall in the same mine. The fall was said to have been caused by a tremor of 2,4 magnitude about 3km below the surface.
The National Union of Mineworkers said Tau Tona had an ”unrelenting scenario of fatalities”.
”So far, according to our records, 11 fatalities have occurred in 2006 excluding the current ‘accident’, and two weeks ago one accident was also reported,” said the union’s Mike Fafuli in a statement on Tuesday.
He said the union wanted answers from AngloGold Ashanti after it transpired that the miners were supposed have been out of the shaft 30 minutes before the incident.
”Their shift was supposed to have ended at 2pm, but they were still down there at the time of the rockfall by 2.30pm,” Fafuli said.
Lenahan could not comment on the delay saying the mine had to investigate the incident first. — Sapa