The accident occurred at the Mponeng Gold Mine, the world’s deepest mine, in 1999 when mine-workers accidentally drilled into a pocket of flammable methane gas in the rock-face.
They were lengthening a tunnel to a working area at 2,7km below ground, which required the drilling of deep holes into rock to check for pockets of water or gas, when the explosion took place. Though they were following the correct procedures, the gas rapidly spread throughout large parts of the mine as result of the immense pressure.
The group sounded the alert when they detected the methane and evacuation started immediately, but the gas was ignited during the process of evacuation. Twenty highly trained rescue workers lifted 20 miners from the mine immediately after the accident.
They were transported to hospital where they were all given a clean bill of health. The rescuers found 17 bodies in the 2,7km shaft and continued to search in poorly ventilated tunnels filled with poisonous clouds of smoke and gas until they found the 18th body just before dawn.
Another corpse was found later, bringing the total death toll to 19. The explosion did not disrupt mining, which continued the next day. An inquiry found that AngloGold was not responsible for the deaths of the miners and could not be held liable.
Do you perhaps have more information pertaining to this story? Email us at northsider@caxton.co.za (remember to include your contact details) or phone us on 011 955 1130.
For free daily local news on the West Rand, also visit our sister newspaper websites
