Successful rescue operations at Elandsrand
Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited is pleased to announce that all 3 200 mine workers have been rescued from the Elandsrand Gold Mine operations.
The rescue operations ended at 20h30 on 4 October 2007 and all the workers are safe and in good health.
An extensive investigation will commence on 5 October to establish the cause of the incident and to ascertain the extent of the damage to the shaft. The mine will be closed for a period of at least three weeks in order to complete this investigation and commence repairs to the shaft. The closure of the mine will impact on production and the extent of this impact will only be determined when we know what the duration of the closure will be.
The financial implications of the closure will be announced at the time of the release of our September quarter results, on Wednesday 31 October 2007.
“We are extremely thankful that there were no injuries and that everyone is back on surface. The mine team did a great job and we would like to thank everyone for their support, especially the Minister of Mines and her staff,” said Graham Briggs after the last person was brought to surface.
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