Ten Diamond Miners Killed As Tunnel Collapses
May 28, 12
A rescue mission recovered the bodies and is attempting to reach the remaining miners in an operation that started last Tuesday. So far, only one person was rescued alive. Eleven diggers reportedly fled when the collapse occurred on Tuesday. Three of them returned to assist the recovery team by trying to map where the tunnels and trapped diggers might be. The rescue operation has also deployed a Trapped Persons Location Device above ground and in the collapsed tunnels where people may remain trapped, De Beers stated during the weekend. De Beers stopped mining the area two years ago. “Our mission is to safely find any survivors of the collapse. We are focused on a human tragedy not on other matters,” said Phillip Barton, CEO of De Beers Consolidated Mines (DBCM). “We again urge, personally, all those directing, encouraging and participating in illegal mining to put safety first and to cease their activities and to cooperate with the authorities in the region before another person is injured of loses their life.” South Africa’s Minister of Mineral Resources Susan Shabangu said in Parliament on Thursday that there were about 600 derelict and ownerless mines in the country, which cost the state R1.5 billion ($181 million) a year.
