A desperate rescue effort is underway in South Africa after five miners were cut off underground when a mudslide sent water rushing into the shaft where they were working.
The incident happened at a diamond mine in Kimberley, where the men have been stranded since the early hours of Tuesday. The Congress of South African Trade Unions, which represents several labor groups including the country’s main mineworkers union, said the miners are believed to be trapped about 800 meters below the surface.
Ekapa Mining, the company that runs the operation, has mobilized emergency teams to reach them. General Manager Howard Marsden told national broadcaster SABC on Wednesday that crews were working on two fronts: draining the flooded shaft and drilling toward the area where the men are thought to be. The goal, he said, is to establish communication “or any proof of life.”
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Kimberley, the central city where the mine is located, occupies a storied place in global mining history. Diamonds discovered there in the late 19th century helped ignite an international rush and cement the area’s reputation as a cornerstone of the industry.
The accident comes on the heels of improving safety statistics in South Africa’s mining sector. In its latest annual safety report, the Minerals Council of South Africa said 41 miners lost their lives in accidents last year, the lowest figure on record and a significant decline from the hundreds recorded annually during the 1990s and early 2000s, the AP reported.
South Africa remains one of the world’s leading producers of diamonds and gold and is the top global supplier of platinum, making mining a critical pillar of its economy.
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