Earthquake – Miners believed to be trapped in Orkney

The cause of today’s midday earth quake just outside of Orkney, Johannesburg, has not yet been determined.

The town is surrounded by a number of some of the deepest and richest gold mines in the area.

ER24 EMS has dispatched paramedics to several mines in the area as it is believed miners working in a mine near Orkney have been trapped inside.

ER24 EMS in Potchefstroom sent emergency crews to Orkney after receiving reports that houses had collapsed there.
They have  reported one fatality in Orkney so far after a wall collapsed on a man.
According to reports on social media, buildings were evacuated in Johannesburg, Umhlanga, and other cities during and after the quake.

Tremors were felt here on the Dolphin Coast and as far away as neighbouring countries as far as Botswana and Mozambique, according to Sapa.

According to the director of the University of Pretoria’s National Hazards Centre and seismologist Dr Andrzej Kijko, South Africans should get used to the feeling, as more can be expected in the future.
“We do expect an increase of activity in the centre of Johannesburg – there have been more earthquakes recently and they are getting stronger. We can only speculate, but it is very likely caused by acid water under Johannesburg, with levels increasing,” said Dr Andrzej Kijo on Radio 702’s Midday Report hosted by Stephen Grootes.

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