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An earthquake has struck South Africa, killing one person and injuring
some gold miners south-west of Johannesburg. The US Geological Survey
said the 5.3 magnitude tremor was near Orkney, a centre of gold-mining
operations. One person died after a wall in Orkney collapsed but
miners who were feared trapped in some mine shafts have been brought
to the surface. The earthquake was felt in neighbouring Botswana and
Mozambique. AngloGold Ashanti said 17 of its employees were injured at
two of its mines in North West province following the earthquake,
which hit at a depth of roughly 8km ( 4.9 miles). Power, which was
temporarily interrupted, had been mostly restored and engineers had
begun clearing shafts, company spokesman Chris Nthite in a statement.
"Our priority is the safe passage of our employees from underground.
Engineers are inspecting shaft infrastructure, and at those shafts
where this work is complete, hoisting of people to surface has already
begun." Meanwhile, emergency medical service ER24 said miners who were
believed to have been trapped are safe. "The miners working in various
mines have been brought out," their spokeswoman Luyanda Majija said.
The BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg says the area around the city
has a history of mild tremors largely because of the nearby gold
mines, which are some of the deepest in the world. However geologists
describe this tremor as a significant event, he says. It rattled
windows in high rise buildings in Johannesburg. Our reporter says
South Africa's largest earthquake to date was recorded with a
magnitude of 6.3 in the Western Cape town of Tulbagh in 1969. Share
this story About sharing More on this story South Africa profile –
overview 20 March 2014 South Africa's gold mine crisis 11 July 2013
InAn earthquake has struck South Africa, killing one person and
injuring some gold miners south-west of Johannesburg. The US
Geological Survey said the 5.3 magnitude tremor was near Orkney, a
centre of gold-mining operations. One person died after a wall in
Orkney collapsed but miners who were feared trapped in some mine
shafts have been brought to the surface. The earthquake was felt in
neighbouring Botswana and Mozambique. AngloGold Ashanti said 17 of its
employees were injured at two of its mines in North West province
following the earthquake, which hit at a depth of roughly 8km ( 4.9
miles). Power, which was temporarily interrupted, had been mostly
restored and engineers had begun clearing shafts, company spokesman
Chris Nthite in a statement. "Our priority is the safe passage of our
employees from underground. Engineers are inspecting shaft
infrastructure, and at those shafts where this work is complete,
hoisting of people to surface has already begun." Meanwhile, emergency
medical service ER24 said miners who were believed to have been
trapped are safe. "The miners working in various mines have been
brought out," their spokeswoman Luyanda Majija said. The BBC's Milton
Nkosi in Johannesburg says the area around the city has a history of
mild tremors largely because of the nearby gold mines, which are some
of the deepest in the world. However geologists describe this tremor
as a significant event, he says. It rattled windows in high rise
buildings in Johannesburg. Our reporter says South Africa's largest
earthquake to date was recorded with a magnitude of 6.3 in the Western
Cape town of Tulbagh in 1969. Share this story About sharing More on
this story South Africa profile – overview 20 March 2014 South
Africa's gold mine crisis 11 July 2013 InAn earthquake has struck
South Africa, killing one person and injuring some gold miners
south-west of Johannesburg. The US Geological Survey said the 5.3
magnitude tremor was near Orkney, a centre of gold-mining operations.
One person died after a wall in Orkney collapsed but miners who were
feared trapped in some mine shafts have been brought to the surface.
The earthquake was felt in neighbouring Botswana and Mozambique.
AngloGold Ashanti said 17 of its employees were injured at two of its
mines in North West province following the earthquake, which hit at a
depth of roughly 8km ( 4.9 miles). Power, which was temporarily
interrupted, had been mostly restored and engineers had begun clearing
shafts, company spokesman Chris Nthite in a statement. "Our priority
is the safe passage of our employees from underground. Engineers are
inspecting shaft infrastructure, and at those shafts where this work
is complete, hoisting of people to surface has already begun."
Meanwhile, emergency medical service ER24 said miners who were
believed to have been trapped are safe. "The miners working in various
mines have been brought out," their spokeswoman Luyanda Majija said.
The BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg says the area around the city
has a history of mild tremors largely because of the nearby gold
mines, which are some of the deepest in the world. However geologists
describe this tremor as a significant event, he says. It rattled
windows in high rise buildings in Johannesburg. Our reporter says
South Africa's largest earthquake to date was recorded with a
magnitude of 6.3 in the Western Cape town of Tulbagh in 1969.
BBC
