Latest information:

Workers working on scaffolding underground at the Ingula hydro-electric powerplant were killed or injured when several large steel pipes fell on them after being bumped off a higher level workstation this morning.

Six people were killed when the pipes fell on them. There were also injured people on the upper level. Several of the bodies are still trapped in the debris below.

There was no cave-in, as initially reported.

Altogether seven people were transported to hospital. Countless others were treated for shock at the scene.

Rescue teams from Pietermaritzburg, Durban and Ladysmith are on scene. Police are currently combing the rubble and are removing the bodies.

At this stage, it is not known what caused the pipes to fall.

A Discovery Health Medi-vac chopper was on scene, but has since left.

Initially, all Ladysmith’s available paramedics and mountain rescue teams were dispatched to the scene as reports came in of 30-plus people trapped in a cave-in. When rescuers arrived, they realised they were not dealing with a cave-in but collapsed scaffolding. Most of the underground workers were not affected and managed to leave the area safely.

The story will be updated as soon as a press release is issued by Eskom…