Illegal miner buried and killed in trench collapse in Germiston

Ekurhuleni Disaster and Emergency Management Services (DEMS) rescue teams worked tirelessly to recover the body of an illegal miner buried and killed in a trench in High Road, Germiston, on Thursday.

Teams from Germiston Central and Boksburg fire stations, with members of the SAPS K9 Unit, began the operation at around 1.20pm and only completed the operation at 8pm.

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“Personnel swiftly responded to the scene after receiving a call from SAPS officers on scene,” said William Ntladi, district manager media liaison for DEMS.

“It was reported that the patient was performing illegal mining activities in an open piece of land when the trench collapsed, burying him deep underground.”

One of the K9 Unit’s canines was able to positively identify the location of the patient.

“All necessary trench rescue equipment was used for shoring the trench when rescuers were recovering the body,” said Ntladi.

“Once the body was recovered, the patient was declared dead on scene by DEMS paramedics.

“The body was then transported by forensic pathologists to the appropriate pathological facility within Germiston.”

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The scene was handed over to the SAPS for further investigation.

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Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor) germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za, Leigh Hodgson (News Editor) leighh@caxton.co.za or Busi Vilakazi (Journalist) busiv@caxton.co.za.

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