News / Local
11 Zimbabwean bodies found in SA disused mine
09 Sep 2015 at 06:25hrs | Views
SOUTH African emergency workers have retrieved 11 bodies of Zimbabweans who died after a generator they were using in a disused underground mine exploded in Benoni, some 35km outside Johannesburg. Police are yet to release the names of victims.
It is understood that the group which included 15 people, among them Zimbabweans and Mozambicans, entered the mine on August 27 and were using the generator for lighting and drilling.
The group reportedly died of suffocation while a few who managed to escape made a report to the police. The mine is located in the Springs area of Benoni. Benoni police spokesperson Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng said the victims were retrieved by emergency workers with the assistance of relatives.
"We concluded the search on Tuesday last week and we've since taken the bodies to Germiston Government Mortuary where we're conducting pathological tests. The bodies were identified as those of Zimbabweans by their relatives who also stay in the same area (Springs)," he said.
"We're appealing to members of the community to stop illegal mining activities as they risk their lives and prosecution." He said investigations into the accident were still underway.
According to Zimbabweans who live in the same area, there could be more bodies buried in the same mine. "My uncle is also missing and we're convinced he is one of the people who could have died in the mine," said Tafadzwa Paradza.
"Normally, these guys take an average of three days underground but we've gone for two weeks without hearing a word from him. We'll continue searching for him and engaging the police for assistance."
Paradza said there were known dangerous areas with poisonous gases in the mine, adding that some of the search teams were afraid to get to those points. The incident comes just over a year after 22 Zimbabweans perished in a disused gold mine in Roodeport, South Africa in May.
It is understood that the group which included 15 people, among them Zimbabweans and Mozambicans, entered the mine on August 27 and were using the generator for lighting and drilling.
The group reportedly died of suffocation while a few who managed to escape made a report to the police. The mine is located in the Springs area of Benoni. Benoni police spokesperson Captain Tsekiso Mofokeng said the victims were retrieved by emergency workers with the assistance of relatives.
"We concluded the search on Tuesday last week and we've since taken the bodies to Germiston Government Mortuary where we're conducting pathological tests. The bodies were identified as those of Zimbabweans by their relatives who also stay in the same area (Springs)," he said.
According to Zimbabweans who live in the same area, there could be more bodies buried in the same mine. "My uncle is also missing and we're convinced he is one of the people who could have died in the mine," said Tafadzwa Paradza.
"Normally, these guys take an average of three days underground but we've gone for two weeks without hearing a word from him. We'll continue searching for him and engaging the police for assistance."
Paradza said there were known dangerous areas with poisonous gases in the mine, adding that some of the search teams were afraid to get to those points. The incident comes just over a year after 22 Zimbabweans perished in a disused gold mine in Roodeport, South Africa in May.
Source - chronicle
