SOUTH AFRICA:With fatigue, hunger and relief etched on their faces, miners emerged from an accident-stricken gold mine yesterday after being trapped underground for more than 24 hours.
The group of 3,200 workers had been stranded 2.2km (7,218ft) below the surface since 10am on Wednesday when a pipe fell into a lift shaft and cut off the power supply to a cage that is normally used to hoist them out of the mine.
Wives and other relatives of the men waited patiently overnight to see whether their loved ones would be brought up next.
By last night all of the workers had been evacuated in what was described as the largest rescue mission in South African mining history.
Some of the workers had spent close to two days underground as they had been due to come off lengthy shifts when the accident struck at the Carletonville mine, near Johannesburg.
Food and water was sent down an emergency shaft, through which the miners were evacuated at 30-minute intervals.
Minerals and energy minister Buyelwa Sonjica visited the site early yesterday and announced an official investigation into the accident. She also said health and safety legislation would be "tightened up" to try to prevent mining accidents which have blighted the industry in recent years.
Mine-owners Harmony Gold, the fifth largest gold producer in the world, announced its own investigation into the incident.
In a statement, it said the workers had access to water and medical supplies throughout the emergency, adding that the mine was well ventilated and serviced by a team of paramedics.
Chairman of the company's South African operations Patrice Motsepe described the accident as a wake-up call to the industry.
"We have to recommit ourselves to refocus on safety in this country, our safety record both as a company and an industry leave much to be desired. We run companies that have an obligation to all constituencies.
"Shareholders are one of those constituencies, but we have an obligation to our employees as well," he said, adding that he had been in the mining business since the 1980s and could not remember another incident in which so many miners had been trapped underground.
Last week, four miners were killed at an AngloGold underground mine, also in Carletonville.