Report has it that movement has been detected underground at a shuttered gold mine in South Africa’s Free State where at least 31 miners working illegally died in a suspected gas explosion in May, raising a slim possibility that there may be survivors,
Officials told The Associated Press that the accident happened on May 18 in the city of Welkom but has only come to light, South African. Meanwhile, the bodies are still underground.
Officials said it is likely there were more miners underground than initially thought and the death count could be higher than 31. A search operation has not yet been launched because of dangerously high levels of methane at the mine and the possibility of more explosions.
Department of Mineral Resources and Energy spokesperson Nathi Shabangu said on Tuesday that as it stands now, it’s rather difficult,”
Shabangu said the government was working with a team of inspectors from Harmony Gold, the company that previously operated the mine, and mine rescue services to determine if the underground activity detected is human movement.
Fatal accidents involving people engaged in unlicensed mining often go unreported in South Africa because any survivors are reluctant to contact authorities because they might be arrested.
The incident at the Welkom mine was also complicated because the miners are from neighbouring Lesotho, and it took weeks for their families to report them missing to Lesotho authorities who then contacted their South African counterparts.
Miners working illegally do take food, water and other supplies with them because they expect to be underground for some time.
