The operation to rescue illegal miners trapped in the Rand Leases gold mine in Roodepoort has been temporarily halted due to safety concerns.
Mine rescue experts arrived on-site on Monday to commence technical work aimed at bringing the miners to the surface.
Authorities believe that at least two illegal miners are trapped, though the exact number remains uncertain.
Earlier, a member of the technical team was lowered into the disused shaft for an assessment. However, at a depth of 70 metres, the team encountered oxygen deficiency, preventing further progress.
Johannesburg Emergency Management Services (EMS) spokesperson, Robert Mulaudzi, detailed the challenges faced by the rescue team:
“We reached the makeshift platform where there’s a hole that leads to makeshift stairs. That area is actually dangerous for the rescuers, hence the decision to terminate the operation. We are looking at other avenues to try and see if we cannot use any other access, but we cannot do that with the maps that we have because that is the only area we are able to move into.”
For now, rescue teams have stood down, but a final decision on whether and when to resume operations is yet to be made.
