Underground fire at Kusasalethu gold mine: All mineworkers returned safely to surface – no injuries
Harmony Gold Mining Company Limited has announced that all of the 486 employees at the company’s Kusasalethu mine have been safely brought to surface.
This follows the successful operation undertaken by mine rescue teams who were deployed underground to contain the fire, believed to have started during maintenance work on a bulk air cooler on 75 level, and to bring employees to surface.
Says Graham Briggs, CEO: “We are extremely grateful that all of our colleagues have been brought to surface, without injury. This is to the credit of our systems, employees, the unions, and mine management who have worked tirelessly over the past 12 hours. I also want to extend our thanks to mine rescue services for their efforts.”
Investigations into the cause of the fire will be conducted jointly with the Department of Mineral Resources and mine management.
Further information will be released as this becomes available.
For more details contact:
Charmane Russell
+27 (0) 82 372 5816 (mobile)
Memory Johnstone
+27 (0) 82 719 3081 (mobile)
Pam McLeod
+27 (0) 82 872 6387 (mobile)
James Duncan
+27 (0) 79 336 4010 (mobile)