3,200 men trapped in mine incident, South Africa

[Calva dosser]

Just heard an estimated 3,200 miners are trapped in a gold mine in South Africa.

Let us hope it is merely an electrical fault on the lifts or something.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Yes. Lets

 

[kerb]

just saw this too.

they suspect a water main burst and is now blocking the only entrance/exit

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7027122.stm

bad news

 

[chymaera]

Just heard an estimated 3,200 miners are trapped in a gold mine in South Africa.

Let us hope it is merely an electrical fault on the lifts or something.

Unless any of them are white I expect it won't be a big news item.

 

[Calva dosser]

Yes. Lets

Prefer a roof collapse would you?

The power is out, apparently.

Pillock.

E2A Just saw Kerbs post. More serious than R4 made out in their haste to rush back to Blackpool to bum-up Cameron.

 

[Stanley Edwards]

Prefer a roof collapse would you?

The power is out, apparently.

Pillock.

Whatever. No news is bad news hey?

e2a; So, they're all OK then.

Cilla Black's house wasn't burgled yesterday?

 

[frogwoman]

fuck

 

[wreckhead]

Conflicting reports but it seems it is a lift/electrical failure..

http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKL0343276320071003

...hope that's all it is and everyone escapes unscathed

e2a shit this happened at 9am our time, I hope they mean pm

 

[kerb]

Conflicting reports but it seems it is a lift/electrical failure..

http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKL0343276320071003

yep. sky initially said it was water but have now said electrical.

either way lets hope they get out. really harsh.

 

[david dissadent]

3000 trapped 2.2km down

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/africa/7027122.stm

3000 stuck over 2.2km down. Bleeding hell. Must be South West of Joburg or in the Free State round Welkom and that because they are the only mines that deep in the world. (I think Western Deepgoes 3.5km down).

Bloody hell I hope they get them out. Its a bloody hard job down there. I think it gets up above 50C and they get paid a few quid a day. Hard dangerous job.

Good luck lads.

 

[chymaera]

Already a thread.

 

[Calva dosser]

Conflicting reports but it seems it is a lift/electrical failure..

http://uk.reuters.com/article/latestCrisis/idUKL0343276320071003

...hope that's all it is and everyone escapes unscathed

e2a shit this happened at 9am our time, I hope they mean pm

Nope, 0800 GMT I think.

No-one reported hurt, The remaining lift can only take 300 every half hour, but plenty of air and water.

Latest. As you were.

 

[mikeinworthing]

here

 

[david dissadent]

Merge then please.

 

[Spymaster]

Unless any of them are white I expect it won't be a big news item.

WTF

You really are a fucking plum sometimes, Tobes.

 

[chymaera]

WTF

You really are a fucking plum sometimes, .

So are you for editing the rolling eyes smiley out.

 

[Lock&Light]

Unless any of them are white I expect it won't be a big news item.

Thank God that Tobyfacts are seldom true.

 

[wreckhead]

Nope, 0800 GMT I think.

No-one reported hurt, The remaining lift can only take 300 every half hour, but plenty of air and water.

Latest. As you were.

I hope you're right.. BBC saying there's been no communication with the miners since this morning. That number of people stuck underground is a scary, scary thought and the story seems to keep changing.

 

[david dissadent]

Those mines are huge.... They have ventelation and cooling shafts as well so they may be ok... for a while other than unstable geology, terrible heat no food and so on.

 

[editor]

*Theads merged, title changed and new thread moved to appropriate forum.

 

[david dissadent]

A pipe broke, severing power cables to the lift and trapping workers at the bottom of a 2.2km (1.4 mile) shaft.

Thank christ this is not a rock burst......... just a mechanical fault, or so it is being reported on the BBC.

 

[muckypup]

there is a risk of suffocation, however lets hope the mine company is right about the ventilation. The second lift can only take 75 people out at a time so its going to take a while. The company who owns the mines, Harmony, is the worlds 5th largest gold producer.

 

[Johnny Canuck3]

edit

 

[david dissadent]

there is a risk of suffocation, however lets hope the mine company is right about the ventilation. The second lift can only take 75 people out at a time so its going to take a while. The company who owns the mines, Harmony, is the worlds 5th largest gold producer.

If there was no cooling air getting down there they would die from dehydration and heat exhaustion in a very short space of time, so the fact they are not prepairing people for hundreds dead in a few hours suggests they have enough cool air getting down there. Besides if it is only the lift that is broke, and not a rockburst then the lift shafts will be able to bring down air, so long as there are deeper levels for the CO2 to sink to, without ventelation. But there is nothing to suggest the ventelation and cooling shafts are blocked.

 

[cesare]

600 rescued so far ... awful to imagine the worsening state of the others still down there waiting for their turn in that equipment lift

 

[muckypup]

If there was no cooling air getting down there they would die from dehydration and heat exhaustion in a very short space of time, so the fact they are not prepairing people for hundreds dead in a few hours suggests they have enough cool air getting down there. Besides if it is only the lift that is broke, and not a rockburst then the lift shafts will be able to bring down air, so long as there are deeper levels for the CO2 to sink to, without ventelation. But there is nothing to suggest the ventelation and cooling shafts are blocked.

ok thats hopeful.

 

[zoltan]

Thye will have backup air supply as a matter of normal practice - Hopefully it sounds worse than it actually is - still, Its not somewhere I would like to hang around too long

gold is down a dollar or so this AM, so obvioulsy the market thinks that this isnt terminal