Cage drop kills 12, injures 74 at Implats Rustenburg mine in South Africa

Following a fatal accident at Impala Platinum Holdings‘ (JSE: IMP) Rustenburg mine in South Africa, the death toll has risen to 12 after a victim succumbed to their injuries in hospital, the company said on Wednesday.   

Of the 86 employees affected by the cage accident in the 11 Shaft on Tuesday, 74 are still in hospital, Implats said.   

The accident at Rustenberg, located in the North West province, involved the cage falling 180 metres from the 17 level to the 20 level.

Production has been suspended, including third party and joint venture production, into at least Wednesday, said Implats spokesperson Johan Theron. The downtime will allow Implats to hold a memorial for those who perished.

The company said production at all other Rustenburg shafts will resume on Thursday but operations at the 1-km-deep 11 Shaft and the 11C shaft will remain suspended while the cause of the accident is being investigated.

Initial findings point toward the cage (which can accommodate 35 miners on each of three decks) was returning employees to the surface at the end of their shift. The cage fell about 180 metres before the winder counterweight snagged in the jack catches. The deceleration was almost instantaneous.

Implats added that the cage was not in free-fall, but rather it was still attached to the hoist rope as it “slipped.” The investigation will continue.

“Should any human error or negligence be found to have contributed to this tragedy, we will act firmly and decisively,” Implats said.

The Rustenburg mine produces about 1.2 million oz. of platinum annually, accounting for about one-third of the company’s output. The operation has nine shafts, a processing plant, and smelting plants.

With files from Miningmx.com.