Efforts to rescue child who fell down mine shaft thwarted

Efforts to rescue the five-year-old boy who fell down the open mine shaft in Witfield, Ekurhuleni, on Saturday resumed to no avail on Tuesday as mud in the shaft prevented the camera from penetrating further than a depth of 120 metres.

It was decided at about 4pm on Tuesday that an excavator was needed to remove some of the mud in order for the camera to penetrate deeper into the shaft, and the excavations were to begin last night.

Ekurhuleni Disaster Emergency Management Services (Edems) spokesperson William Ntladi explained that there were three levels of mud and the camera could not get past the third level.

Ntladi further said that the water level was thought to be at a depth of 140 metres.

Edems began their rescue efforts on Saturday afternoon after the boy fell down the shaft at about midday, and mine rescue services were called to assist.

Ntladi said it was believed the children were playing close to the opening of the shaft, throwing items down the opening, when the boy fell into the hole.

He said a child who witnessed the incident and informed the boy’s parents was traumatised and received medical treatment.

Ntladi further explained that the instability of the ground in the shaft, the depth and gases posed a challenge to the rescue teams.

Between about 7.30pm on Monday, when rescue operations ceased for the day, and Tuesday morning, more land had caved in around the opening, increasing its size.

The area around the opening had been cordoned off and yesterday about 350 community members of the Jerusalem informal settlement watched in anticipation as the rescue teams set to work.

The crowd grew rowdy as the rescue efforts took time, with the camera only being lowered into the shaft at about 3pm.

Ntladi explained that the late start was due to the mine rescue technicians not being based in Ekurhuleni.

The community was, however, calmer than on Sunday night and Monday morning when residents took to Wit Deep and Main Reef roads to protest that rescue efforts had stopped for the night due to the problems the rescue teams confronted. Residents blocked Wit Deep Road with stones, burning tyres and wood.

As the camera was lowered into the shaft on Tuesday, Ekurhuleni MMC of community safety Vivian Chauke arrived and took the mother of the child to the edge of the opening to explain why the operations had to stop and why an excavator was needed to break through the mud.

The child’s mother put a scarf over her head as she was led away from the site.

Chauke said the area would be cordoned off with razor wire on Wednesday to enable rescue services to resume their efforts.

She also said the excavation and rescue efforts would be conducted throughout last night.

She further said that it was necessary to negotiate with the land owners to find suitable land to accommodate the community and to start moving them from the unstable land.

“Today it’s a child, but tomorrow it could be the whole community because this is a mining belt, underneath things are happening, those rocks can fall and the whole area can go down,” she said.

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