By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The bodies of two miners trapped underground at Ekapa Mine in the Northern Cape since 17 February have been recovered, the company confirmed.
This brings the total number of bodies recovered to three after the body of a miner was recovered on Monday, 9 March.
The men have been trapped 890m underground since a mud rush incident. The mine had applied for liquidation and closed on Wednesday, 25 February, with immediate effect.
The company said the decision was not taken lightly but was considered in the best interests of all stakeholders. It mentioned operational, financial, and safety factors as reasons for the closure.
“There’s lots of mud still left up to the roof of the tunnels, and what’s happening is the transport distance back to get it out of the mine (is a problem),” said Mine Rescue Services CEO Mannas Fourie.
“We’re trying to create space where we can pack this mud so that we can speed up the process. With mining, you never know what’s going to be thrown towards you tomorrow.
“We didn’t anticipate (all these factors) getting underground, and that’s making us halt every now and then to deal with this and then to move forward. So yes, it is our priority as well to get back there as quickly as possible,” he said.
Recovery teams have pumped more than 37,500m³ of water from the shaft, completed 233m of life-support drilling, and removed nearly a thousand scoops of mud and debris from the affected area.
“Recovery operations continue to be conducted carefully and methodically under strict safety controls, with specialist mine rescue and proto teams working around the clock as conditions allow. Further updates will be provided as progress continues, “Fourie added.