South African mining company Sibanye Stillwater (SSWJ.J) announced on Friday that a rescue operation is underway to safely retrieve 289 miners trapped underground at its Kloof gold mine, located near Johannesburg.
A company spokesperson confirmed that an incident occurred at the Kloof 7 shaft. Safety checks and shaft inspections are currently in progress, after which workers will be brought to the surface.
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All trapped employees have been located and are reported to be safe. The company is supplying them with food while preparations for their rescue continue. Sibanye expects the operation to be completed around midday.
The National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) also acknowledged the situation, stating it had received information about the incident, which reportedly occurred around 10:00 PM local time (8:00 PM GMT) on Thursday.
