LOW’S CREEK – The little hope that remained to find Mr Solomon Nyarende, Ms Yvonne Mnisi and Ms Pretty Nkambule alive in the container which disappeared underground at Lily Mine on February 5, has been lost with the announcement that it will take at least two weeks to create a second outlet to reach it.
Vantage Goldfields CEO, Mr Mike McChesney briefed media late on Wednesday night. He was accompanied by mineral resources minister, Mr Mosebenzi Zwane and Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union president, Mr Joseph Mathunjwa.
As he ended off his statement with the devastating news that the estimated timing to create this outlet was two weeks, Zwane uttered a deep sigh, reiterating the feeling of despair the trio must have felt.
McChesney said there had been a second collapse in the open pit on Saturday which caused the second outlet to be compromised. As a result, they engaged and assembled a team of rock engineering experts. “These people went underground on Tuesday morning and endorsed our decision to temporarily suspend operations while there was no second outlet.
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“The rock engineers have now released their geotechnical report and this has been shared with all stakeholders today (Wednesday). I am pleased to report that the recommendation suggests that operations to recover the container are positive in that the operation can now continue as long as there is a second outlet – a new second outlet. To this end we have today secured a rescue drill unit from Mine Rescue. This is the same type of unit that was used in the Chilean rescue some years ago.”
He said it was a state-of-the-art drilling machine which was going to be used to drill a 600 millimetre hole – just the right size to get a person out of the underground in an emergency. “It will be used to drill down from surface to five level – a distance of some 80 metres.”
He paused before continuing. “I think I need to point out that the rock engineers have emphasised the magnitude and complexity of this operation and the timing that they’re estimating to actually make the working safe again on five level is about two weeks.”
Mathunjwa added that they fully agreed with this decision and that, “the health and safety laws didn’t allow any underground working to use only one opening”.
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Lowvelder consulted Mr Christo de Klerk, general manager of Mine Rescue Services, to explain what exactly this all meant. “Yes, by law it is required that a mine has two access points. Lily Mine had a main portal and ventilation shaft. The main portal was completely blocked during the first collapse on February 5, leaving only the ventilation shaft, which was compromised during the second collapse on Saturday night.”
He said this second outlet that McChesney was referring to could be compared to a borehole. “When workers are trapped in coal mines, the rescue drill unit drills holes of about 630 millimetres wide to access them. This second outlet needs to be established, should problems be encountered in the ventilation shaft.”
The drilling machine McChesney spoke about was on its way from Colliery Training College in eMalahleni and was expected to arrive yesterday. Drilling can then hopefully commence today or Saturday.
Today marked two weeks since disaster struck on February 5. On questioning at what stage the rescue operation would be considered a recovery, Zwane said, “The truth is we know, all of us, as the day progresses the harder it becomes. Our intention is not to really concentrate on the naming currently, and the family agrees with us… Our intention is that what is important… let’s recover the container with the people inside. We can’t speculate.”
Meanwhile, sources within the mine told Lowvelder that Nyarende was not inside the container at the time of the collapse. Media spokesman at Lily Mine, Mr Coetzee Zietsman, responded, “According to the mine’s knowledge, and after investigation, all three people were indeed inside the container. If there is indeed a witness, he has not yet made contact with the mine management and therefore management cannot confirm or deny the allegations.”
He requested on behalf of management that any witness to this come forward as this information can be crucial in the search for the container.
The newspaper further established that the container had an annex in the form of a Wendy house. According to information, it was customary for the three workers to move on to this extension as soon as all the rescue packs and lamps were given out and the last miner had gone underground.
“The chances of them not having been in the container, but in this Wendy house are very likely and as such it is also highly possible that this structure would have broken loose from the container during the collapse,” said one of the workers who wished to remain anonymous. At the time of going to print, Zietsman couldn’t be reached for comment regarding this speculation.
