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| Version 9 | Version 10 |
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| Trapped SA miners emerge slowly | Trapped SA miners emerge slowly |
| (about 1 hour later) | |
| Rescuers are slowly bringing to the surface thousands of workers trapped for hours in a South African gold mine. | Rescuers are slowly bringing to the surface thousands of workers trapped for hours in a South African gold mine. |
| More than 3,000 men became trapped 2.2km (1.4 miles) underground when a broken pipe severed power cables to a lift early on Wednesday. | More than 3,000 men became trapped 2.2km (1.4 miles) underground when a broken pipe severed power cables to a lift early on Wednesday. |
| By midday (1000GMT) some 2,000 had been freed from the Elandsrand mine, 80km (50 miles) west of Johannesburg. | By midday (1000GMT) some 2,000 had been freed from the Elandsrand mine, 80km (50 miles) west of Johannesburg. |
| Some workers have been underground for 36 hours, since starting night shifts on Tuesday evening. | Some workers have been underground for 36 hours, since starting night shifts on Tuesday evening. |
| The miners are being brought out through a small shaft normally used for mining equipment, and only 75 can be hauled clear at a time: no more than 300 in an hour. | The miners are being brought out through a small shaft normally used for mining equipment, and only 75 can be hauled clear at a time: no more than 300 in an hour. |
| Each group of miners was greeted with shouts of joy and whistling, the South African Press Association (Sapa) reports. | Each group of miners was greeted with shouts of joy and whistling, the South African Press Association (Sapa) reports. |
| 'Room for improvement' | 'Room for improvement' |
| "I just want to tell my family that I'm okay," miner Thabang Mokhethi, 40, told Sapa as he emerged. | "I just want to tell my family that I'm okay," miner Thabang Mokhethi, 40, told Sapa as he emerged. |
| The accident at the mine, owned by Harmony Gold Mining, happened at about 1000 (0800 GMT) on Wednesday morning. | The accident at the mine, owned by Harmony Gold Mining, happened at about 1000 (0800 GMT) on Wednesday morning. |
| Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica visited the mine, greeting some of the miners as they emerged and said the government wanted to "tighten up" mine safety laws. | Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica visited the mine, greeting some of the miners as they emerged and said the government wanted to "tighten up" mine safety laws. |
| "I wouldn't call it a crisis given that mining is risky in its nature, so incidents of this kind will occur, but I still think there is room for improvement and to reduce accidents in the mines," Ms Sonjica said. name="text"> | |
| No serious injuries have been reported. | No serious injuries have been reported. |
| Graphic of mine rescue | |
| "All the miners are okay," National Union of Mineworkers spokesman Lesiba Seshoka told the BBC News website. | "All the miners are okay," National Union of Mineworkers spokesman Lesiba Seshoka told the BBC News website. |
| "We have provided them with some food and water. We are told by those coming out that they are looking forward to getting out. They are getting impatient,but they are confident they will all come out alive." | "We have provided them with some food and water. We are told by those coming out that they are looking forward to getting out. They are getting impatient,but they are confident they will all come out alive." |
| The miners were trapped in a cramped space where temperatures could reach 30-40C (86-104 Fahrenheit). | The miners were trapped in a cramped space where temperatures could reach 30-40C (86-104 Fahrenheit). |
| Sethiri Thibile, one of the first miners to be rescued, had been underground since 0500 on Wednesday. | Sethiri Thibile, one of the first miners to be rescued, had been underground since 0500 on Wednesday. |
| ELANDSRAND GOLD MINE Elandsrand mine has 6.9 million ounces of proven reservesLocated 80km (50 miles) west of JohannesburgIt has two vertical shafts - a men/material shaft and a rock/ventilation shaftA new mine, to be finished by 2010, is being built under the existing mine, which is still in useHarmony Gold Mining bought the mine in 2001 | ELANDSRAND GOLD MINE Elandsrand mine has 6.9 million ounces of proven reservesLocated 80km (50 miles) west of JohannesburgIt has two vertical shafts - a men/material shaft and a rock/ventilation shaftA new mine, to be finished by 2010, is being built under the existing mine, which is still in useHarmony Gold Mining bought the mine in 2001 |
| "I was hungry, though we were all hungry," he told the Associated Press news agency. | "I was hungry, though we were all hungry," he told the Associated Press news agency. |
| "Most of the people are scared," he said. | "Most of the people are scared," he said. |
| A spokeswoman for the mining company, Amelia Soares, told the BBC that paramedics had reached the miners and that none had been injured in the accident. | A spokeswoman for the mining company, Amelia Soares, told the BBC that paramedics had reached the miners and that none had been injured in the accident. |
| She said the bottom of the shaft where they are trapped was well ventilated, and that the miners had access to water. | She said the bottom of the shaft where they are trapped was well ventilated, and that the miners had access to water. |
| Maintenance questioned | Maintenance questioned |
| Ms Soares said a compressed pipe column fell down the mineshaft, damaging steel work in the shaft and cutting electrical cords connected to the lifts underground. | Ms Soares said a compressed pipe column fell down the mineshaft, damaging steel work in the shaft and cutting electrical cords connected to the lifts underground. |
| The NUM said the mine shafts had not been properly maintained. | The NUM said the mine shafts had not been properly maintained. |
| "Our guys there tell us that they have raised concerns about the whole issue of maintenance of shafts with the mine, but they have not been attended to," Lesiba Seshoka told the Associated Press news agency. | "Our guys there tell us that they have raised concerns about the whole issue of maintenance of shafts with the mine, but they have not been attended to," Lesiba Seshoka told the Associated Press news agency. |
| He said South Africa's mines have a poor safety record, with about 200 workers said to have been killed in accidents in each of the last two years. | He said South Africa's mines have a poor safety record, with about 200 workers said to have been killed in accidents in each of the last two years. |
| The Elandsrand mine is in the Witwatersrand Basin, which holds the world's largest gold deposit. name="graphic"> Gold is important to South Africa's economy, says the BBC's Peter Biles in Johannesburg, although the industry has been in decline in recent years. | |
| ELANDSRAND MINE ACCIDENT 1 45m chunk of piping breaks away near mine surface2 It damages steelwork and severs electrical cables as it falls down the 2.2km shaft3 Miners move from bottom of Men and Material shaft to adjacent Rock and Ventilation shaft4 Other miners working at about 2.6km join stranded colleagues5 They are raised to the surface via a hand-winding system class="bodl" href="#text">Return to story |