JUST IN: 634 miners rescued after underground fire at Gold One mine this morning (Thursday)
A fire broke out in an underground shaft at Gold One mine after a dump truck overturned and caught alight at 12.30am this morning (Thursday).
Miners who were in close proximity to the truck extinguished the fire, but because it was inside an airway, the smoke circulated and 634 employees had to be evacuated.
All the miners were on the surface by 6am this morning.
William Ntladi, district manager media liaison: emergency services, says, “106 patients were transported by various ambulances to Life Springs Parkland Hospital to be treated for smoke inhalation.”
Jon Hericourt: VP operations, says three miners were admitted to the hospital for further observation and all others, including the driver of the truck, were released.
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“We had a support proto team come to assist us, and at around 8am this morning the mine was declared safe.
“Our own mine investigation is taking place this morning, and the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR) will come tomorrow to start their own investigation as well as the manufacturer of the truck to see what caused it to catch fire when it overturned.
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“After the full investigation has been done, we will look at what other additional measures we can put in place in future.
“For now, the DMR who were present in the control room during the fire were happy with safety procedures.”
Hericourt added day shifts were normal this morning, but they would also check during the night shift.
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