75 Workers Rescued Unharmed After Fire At Zimbabwe Mine

75 workers rescued unharmed after fire at Zimbabwe mine < br />

2012-05-23 07:30:51 GMT+7 (ICT)

HARARE, ZIMBABWE (BNO NEWS) -- At least 75 workers were rescued unharmed on Tuesday after they became trapped in a platinum mine in southern Zimbabwe a day earlier, the company said. There are conflicting reports about the number of miners involved in the incident.

The accident occurred at around 5 p.m. local time on Monday when a fire broke out at the Mimosa Platinum Mine in Zvishavane, a mining town in the country's Midlands province. The blaze was reportedly caused when the conveyor belt in the main decline ignited, leaving dozens of workers trapped.

"All employees have been accounted for and no injuries have been reported," Aquarius Platinum Limited, which jointly owns the Mimosa Platinum Mine along with Impala Platinum, said in a brief statement. "Initially 75 employees were accommodated in refuge bays due to low visibility. They are now in the process of being moved to the surface."

But although the company's statement said only 75 of its employees were trapped underground, The Herald newspaper reported on Wednesday that at least 178 workers were trapped during the incident. The newspaper said the rescued workers were not injured but looked distraught when they emerged from the mining shaft in small groups.

Aquarius Platinum Limited said it did not yet know the extent of the damage and impact on production as a result of Monday's fire. Zimbabwe is the second largest producer of platinum after South Africa, and the Mimosa mine produced some 104,000 ounces of platinum last year.

The worst mining accident in the history of Zimbabwe happened in June 1972 when a series of gas explosions ripped through the Wankie No. 2 colliery in Hwange, which was at the time part of the unrecognized state of Rhodesia. Eight men were pulled alive from the mine, but 426 others were killed.

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