Fire at its St Helena Mine, Welkom
Johannesburg, Tuesday 25 September 2007. Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited (Harmony) confirms that a fire broke out at its St Helena Mine, near Welkom in the Free State on Tuesday 18 September 2007.
Harmony’s proto teams were dispatched to the mine and the morning as well as the night shift was withdrawn on St Helena 8 and 4 shafts. Proto teams were unable to access the disused areas of the mine where the fire initially broke out.
Only one person was overcome by gas inhalation and taken to the Ernest Oppenheimer Hospital in Welkom and was later discharged.
Graham Briggs, acting Chief Executive of Harmony, says, “All Harmony’s underground workers at the two St Helena shafts have been accounted for and the company is not aware of any deaths at this stage.”
The underground fire is still burning and could burn for several days as the mining infrastructure is old and easily combustible. As a preventative measure and in order to extinguish the fire, management has reversed the ventilation systems away from current mining areas.
For more details contact:
Graham Briggs
Acting Chief Executive
+27(0)83 265 0274
Amelia Soares
General Manager, Investor Relations
+27(0)82 654 9241
Lizelle du Toit
Investor Relations Officer
+27(0)82 465 1244