[miningmx.com] – HARMONY Gold said it had located the bodies of eight of the nine employees who were unaccounted for after an underground fire broke out at its Doornkop gold mine on the West Rand.
A further eight employees who safely made their way to an underground refuge chamber were brought to surface on February 5. The search for the ninth employee left unaccounted continues, Harmony said.
The fire was reported in a stope adjacent to 192 level haulage some 1,733 metres underground around 6pm on February 4. The fire broke out following a seismic event that triggered a fall of ground, the company said.
Rescue teams were immediately dispatched underground, but access to the affected area was hampered by smoke and a fall of ground, it said.
Harmony CEO Graham Briggs said the company’s board and management extended their condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the men who died.
