[miningmx.com] — GOLD Fields on Thursday announced the death of two employees at the Number 7 Shaft at its KDC East mine after a seismic-related accident.
It said that an additional five employees were injured, two of whom were hospitalised and were in a stable condition. The other three employees suffered only minor injuries, the group said.
The accident occurred following a seismic event earlier on Thursday, measuring 1.6 on the Richter Scale.
The relevant authorities, including the safety inspectorate of the department of mineral resources, were immediately notified, said Gold Fields, adding that all employees were withdrawn from the reef horizon at the shaft after the accident.
The department issued a Section 54 stopping both KDC East and KDC West until the mine had completed the statutory investigation and presented the findings to them.
Nick Holland, CEO of Gold Fields, said: “Our heartfelt condolences go out to family, friends and colleagues of the deceased. Management will do everything possible to support them in this hour of need. This accident shows that there cannot be any let-up in our efforts to mine safely.”
