Bodies of missing Harmony Gold miners found

The bodies of the last two missing Harmony Gold miners were found on Thursday.

The mine issued a statement saying "rescue workers have located and recovered the bodies of the two".

The pair were the last of five miners who were unaccounted for following a seismic event at Harmony Gold's Kusasalethu mine near Carletonville on Friday.

Scores of other mineworkers had escaped unharmed.

"Harmony’s board of directors and management‚ expressed their heartfelt condolences to the families‚ friends and colleagues of Mr Matuba‚ Mr Mokhele and Mr Mokemane (all stope team members) and Mr Moganedi and Mr Sethafuno (both rock drill operators) who have lost their lives as a result of this tragic incident‚" said Peter Steenkamp‚ CEO of Harmony Gold.

"Our condolences go out to the families and friends of those who lost their lives. We will continue to provide the necessary support to the families of the deceased. We are grateful to our colleagues and the scores of volunteer members of Mine Rescue Services from across South Africa for their unwavering commitment to the rescue operation."

He thanked the Department of Mineral Resources‚ the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) and the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) for their assistance.

A probe into the incident was currently underway.

The investigations involved representatives of the company‚ organised labour and the health and safety directorate of the DMR‚ said Steenkamp.

Timeslive

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