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Johannesburg Emergency Services Halt Search for Trapped Illegal Miners Due to Safety Concerns
Johannesburg Emergency Services have called off the search and rescue operation for illegal miners trapped in a disused mine shaft in Roodepoort, citing escalating safety risks for rescuers. The operation was terminated after emergency teams reached a dangerous platform 70 meters down, where the risk of further collapse made it impossible to continue.
While the exact number of illegal miners still trapped in the shaft remains unknown, Robert Mulaudzi, spokesperson for Johannesburg Emergency Services, confirmed that the operation had been discontinued for safety reasons. Mulaudzi explained that the rescuers encountered a makeshift platform with improvised stairs, but the area posed a significant danger to their safety.
“We went 70 meters down and reached a makeshift platform where there is a hole with makeshift stairs. That area is dangerous for the rescuers, hence the decision to terminate the operation,” said Mulaudzi. “We are looking at other avenues to access the shaft, but we cannot do that with the maps we have because they show the area as the only access point.”
Ward councillor Keke Tabane suggested that the miners may have found alternative escape routes after they were heard calling for help on Monday. However, when rescue teams descended into the shaft, they could not locate anyone. Tabane speculated that the miners might have taken different underground paths to exit the shaft.
“On Monday we could hear their voices, but now when the rescue teams went down, they could not find them. The possibility is that they could have taken other alternatives underground,” said Tabane.
Following the termination of the search operation, distraught residents, including the families of the trapped miners, visited the site in hope of hearing from their loved ones. Some residents, too upset to speak to the media, gathered near the shaft, calling out the name “Dumisani” as they claimed to hear a banging sound coming from underground.
As authorities search for alternative ways to access the shaft, the situation remains uncertain. The community, local officials, and emergency services continue to grapple with the risks posed by the abandoned mine shaft.
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Sourced: Soweto Live
