Local News
Rescue operations to continue at abandoned Welkom mine─── 11:46 Sun, 21 May 2017
Bloemfontein - The police in the Free State says rescue operations will continue tomorrow at the disused Harmony Eland mine in Welkom.
An unknown number of illegal miners were trapped inside a mine shaft after an alleged gas explosion about two weeks ago. Police spokesperson, Lerato Molale, says the number of recovered bodies thus far stands on 31, while 27 illegal miners were found alive and arrested for illegal mining. Molale says they are uncertain how many more illegal miners could still be trapped underneath, and police investigations continues.
Molale says the group of illegal miners arrested consists of foreign nationals coming from as far as Zimbabwe, Mozambique and Lesotho.
He says they face charges of trespassing, illegal mining, illegal immigration as well as the attempted theft of mining property.
Molale says more charges will be pressed after they appear in court.
He says the 16 illegal miners who handed themselves over to the police last week Friday, will appear in the Welkom Magistrate's Court on Monday 22 May 2017.
OFM News/Katleho Morapela
