Eight Trapped S.Africa Gold Miners Found Dead

{{Eight of the nine gold mineworkers trapped underground in a shaft west of Johannesburg have been found dead, the National Union of Mineworkers said Thursday.}}

“Eight of the nine mineworkers who were missing at Doornkop Mine are found dead,” the union said in a statement. A search was ongoing for the ninth man still missing.

The union said the bodies were discovered on Wednesday night by rescue teams.

Initially 17 workers were trapped underground after a fire broke out about 1.7 kilometers (over a mile) beneath the surface at mining firm Harmony Gold’s Doornkop operations late Tuesday, in an accident that may have been triggered by a seismic event.

Eight of the workers were rescued on Wednesday morning after escaping to a refuge chamber.

The union said the damage to electric cables had triggered a fire underground after a rock fall.

Despite efforts to reduce fatalities, accidents are still common in South Africa’s ultra-deep gold mines.

One hundred and twenty eight people were killed in 2010, according to the latest figures published by local NGO Miningsafety.co.za.

{AFP}