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Bodies of last missing miners recovered from Harmony mine in South Africa

 

JOHANNESBURG | Aug 31, 2017: The bodies of the last two miners unaccounted for at a mine operated by South Africa's Harmony Gold were recovered on Thursday, the company said, bringing the death toll to five after a tremor shook the shafts last week.

 

Friday's seismic event that rocked the Kusasalethu mine, one of the world's deepest, with gold extracted at depths below 3 kilometres (1.8 miles), highlights the dangers of mining in South Africa's challenging geology.

 

"All of the employees who were trapped underground, are now accounted for," the company said in a statement.

 

South Africa is home to the world's deepest mines where workers operate at depths of up to 4 kilometres. The industry has made efforts to improve safety and the number of miners killed hit a record low of 73 registered last year, compared with 77 in 2015.

 

Kusasalethu, located 90 kilometres west of Johannesburg, has had a troubled history and been a flash point for labour violence and strikes in recent years, threatening its viability and underlining the social risks of mining in South Africa.

 

 

(Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/)