About 1,800 Workers Blocked In Platinum Shaft In South Africa - Gold Producer

About 1,800 Workers Blocked in Platinum Shaft in South Africa - Gold Producer

About 1,800 workers have been blocked in a platinum shaft operated by Sibanye-Stillwater gold producer in Rustenburg, North West province of South Africa, company's spokesman James Wellsted said on Tuesday

MOSCOW (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 30th April, 2019) About 1,800 workers have been blocked in a platinum shaft operated by Sibanye-Stillwater gold producer in Rustenburg, North West province of South Africa, company's spokesman James Wellsted said on Tuesday.

According to Wellsted, earlier in the day, the rails, used to transport workers underground, collapsed, and thus miners found themselves trapped in the Thembelani shaft.

"Approximately 1,800 day shift employees are currently waiting at the shaft stations at the Thembelani shaft. There have been no serious injuries reported and all employees are safe," Wellsted said.

According to the spokesman, the company is exploring different options for bringing miners to the surface.

"Shaft personnel are removing the rails from the shaft and conducting an inspection to determine if there has been any structural damage to the shaft, following which a decision will be made to either use the Thembelani shaft should it be safe to do so to remove employees from underground, or the second outlet at the adjacent Khuseleka shaft," he said.

In February 2018, more than 900 miners were blocked in a shaft in the South African province of Free State due to a power outage caused by a storm.