AMCU: Safety of Lily Mine rescue workers comes first

Mathunjwa says the delay is a result of safety concerns for rescue workers.

Mathunjwa said health and safety regulations do not allow for rescuers to go underground without a second escape outlet.

A second escape route will now be drilled at the Vantage Goldfields’ mine, but it could take up to two weeks.

“You need to have two openings for instance when one opening gets damaged you can be able to rescue people to move out from underground safely,” Mathunjwa told reporters gathered at the mine.

“It’s not only the drilling operation (for the second escape route) but people who were here are working on various other options which will enable communication within 48 hours.”

Vantage Goldfields CEO Mike McChesney said geological experts have advised Lily Mine to continue with the rescue mission for its three trapped workers only after drilling the escape outlet.

“The rock engineers have now produced a geotechnical report and it has been shared with all stakeholders today. I’m pleased to report that the recommendation suggests that operations to recover the container are positive in that the operation can now continue as long as there is a second outlet,” he said.

“To this end, we have today secured a rescue drill unit from Mine Rescue. This is the same type of unit that was used in the Chilean rescue, some years ago. It is a state-of-the-art drill machine which is going to be used to drill a 600 millimeter hole – just the right size to get a person from underground in an emergency.

McChesney said the machine is going to drill down a distance of 80 meters.

“The site that the the rig is going to operated from is being prepared right now. I’ve just shown the minister [of Mineral Resources Mosebenzi Zwane] the site preparation. It is in a nice safe location and the rig has been ordered. It will be transported down during the course of tomorrow [Thursday] and it should be drilling on Friday,” he said.

McChesney said the process of drilling the escape route will be complex.

“I think I need to emphasise that the rock engineers have emphasised the magnitude and the complexity of this operation. The timing that they are estimating to make the working [area] safe again is about two weeks,” McChesney told reporters at around 10pm at the mine.

Lily Mine, owned by Vantage Goldfields, is currently closed and rescue missions are on hold following two collapses at the sinkhole where the three miners remained trapped for almost two weeks.

Yvonne Mnisi, Pretty Mabuza and Solomon Nyarenda became trapped underground on February 5 when the container they were working in fell into a sinkhole created by a collapsed crown pillar, before being covered by huge rocks.

Seventy six other workers were rescued following the collapse.

The families of the three miners have been camping on the mine premises since the collapse.