Operation to rescue miners continues

Over 2,000 trapped miners have been brought to the surface by emergency teams as around 1,000 more await rescue in a South African gold mine.

The 3,200 miners were stranded underground during an accident at the Elandsrand mine near Carletonville, southwest of Johannesburg.

They are trapped 1.4 miles underground after an air pipe broke off and hurtled down the shaft, damaging steelwork and severing an electrical cable carrying power to the main lift.

The miners, of which there are between 150 and 200 women, have been there for around 24 hours and are in a cramped space where temperatures could reach 30-40C.

The owners of the mine, Harmony Gold, the world's fifth biggest producer of the precious metal, said the rescue operation is going smoothly.

Chief Executive Officer Graham Briggs said he is confident all the miners will be brought to the surface in a small secondary lift.

He said: "There have been no injuries or deaths...It may take as long as ten hours, the cage (lift) is travelling fairly slowly to avoid risks ... I'm very confident all will come out."

Mr Briggs said production at the mine had been halted and would remain shut down until an investigation had been carried out and the damage repaired.

However, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said it suspects that negligence and Harmony's practice of mining 24 hours per day caused the accident.

NUM President Senzeni Zokwana said: "We suspect negligence. Because of continuous operations there is no time to make adequate checks."

He said emergency exits are needed to give workers an alternative escape route.

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