Miner found dead after 4-day search

21 November 2011 - 11:19
By Vusi Xaba

A MINER who went missing while working underground at the Kusasalethu gold nine in Carltonville on the West Rand has been found dead.

The man was found yesterday after he had disappeared on Tuesday.

The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said the incident brought to 117 the number of mineworkers who had died in the line of duty this year. Two other miners died last week - one at Bokoni platinum mine in Rustenburg and another at Izwelethu gold mine in Johannesburg.

NUM spokesman Lesiba Seshoka said the miner disappeared after a rock fall.

"The miner disappeared on Tuesday night after a seismic event measuring 2,3 on the Richter scale shook the mine," Seshoka said.

"After a four-day search-and-rescue mission, the miner was presumed dead (on Saturday) and the search-and-rescue mission changed to search and recover. In the early hours of today [yesterday], the body of the miner was recovered."

Mine spokeswoman Henrika Basterfield denied that the deaths in mines were because of poor safety measures.