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Trapped Australian miners freed | Trapped Australian miners freed |
(about 3 hours later) | |
A group of 54 miners trapped underground for several hours after a fire at an Australian gold mine have been rescued unharmed. | |
The last 16 miners were brought out by 1720 local time (0920 GMT), a spokeswoman for the mine-owners said. | |
Workers took refuge in shelters after smoke filled parts of Kanowna Belle mine, 20km (12 miles) north-east of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. | Workers took refuge in shelters after smoke filled parts of Kanowna Belle mine, 20km (12 miles) north-east of Kalgoorlie, Western Australia. |
The fire began eight hours earlier on a truck working underground. | |
It was put out by an on-board extinguisher. | |
No-one was injured because the mine's safety system was activated as soon as the fire broke out, Barrick Gold Corporation spokeswoman Celina Watt said. | |
"Everyone has been brought to the surface, so everyone is out safely and accounted for," she added. | |
"They're hoping to get the truck out tonight and they're looking to have the operations up and running by the morning." | |
Barrick Gold Corporation, a Canadian company, is the world's largest gold producer. | |
The Kanowna Belle mine is thought to contain 400 metric tons (more than 14 million ounces) of gold. |