Six killed in Ingula accident
Workers were deep inside the mountain where they were tunnelling and installing waterways when scaffolding collapsed on top of them
A tragedy claimed six lives when an elevator is thought to have struck scaffolding kilometres inside the mountain at Eskom’s flagship R27-billion Ingula hydro-electric power project on Thursday morning.
Seven people were injured in the accident and rushed to hospital. Workers were deep inside the mountain where they were tunnelling and installing waterways when scaffolding collapsed on top of them. Six people were covered under the rubble and died as a result. The six fatalities are as follows: four from the Philippines, one from China and one African. Four of the deceased have been identified as Maurice Antonio (32), Dennis Casale (39) and Federico Cassi (42) (all Philippine Nationals), and Majara Lesaona Alexandra (40). Besters police are investigating a case of inquest into the incident.
Of those who were injured, four sustained serious injuries and three moderate injuries. All were rushed to hospital by Sharaj Ambulance Services and Occusure. One paramedic was shocked to find that one of the injured was her husband. He had sustained moderate injuries and she accompanied him to hospital. Countless others were treated for shock at the scene by rescue personnel.
It is understood that, at the time of the incident, the workers were in the Incline High Pressure Shaft that connects the top dam to the powerhouse, more than three kilometres inside the mountain.
The moment the accident happened, the area was placed under lock-down and everyone nearby was evacuated. Rescue teams from Ladysmith, Pietermaritzburg and Durban were at the scene, as well as a Discovery Health Medi-vac chopper. Initially, all of Ladysmith’s available paramedics and mountain rescue teams were dispatched 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 Ingula Pumped Storage Scheme is targeted for completion next year and is seen as key to Eskom meeting the country’s power demands, especially for domestic users at peak times. The project involves two dams 4.6km apart and holding 22 million cubic metres of water.
According to a media release issued on Friday, Eskom and the Department of Mineral Resources have launched investigations into the tragic incident at the Ingula pumped storage construction site. The media release confirmed that six construction employees lost their lives and seven required medical treatment. Of the seven injured, three were treated and discharged and the other four are still in the Intensive Care Unit in hospital.
It goes on to say that the incident occurred between 8.15am and 9am in the construction site’s units 3 and 4 incline high pressure shaft. The top gantry (platform), which is on wheels, started moving down the incline, hit a monorail and two other gantries, which impacted the people on the way down. Eskom emphasises the fact that the tunnel did not collapse. The site’s underground works have been evacuated, and the rest of the site has been cleared of any workers while investigations are underway.
“This incident is both unfortunate and tragic. Our first priority is to ensure the care of the deceased, their families, our colleagues in hospital and their loved ones. Our hearts go out to them, but we are also determined to find out why it happened and how to safeguard against it happening again,” said Eskom chief executive Brian Dames.
According to Eskom, safety remains one of its key priorities in its quest to become a high-performance organisation. Eskom says it is constantly working with suppliers, customers and contractors to integrate safety, health and environmental processes into their operations.
“I would like to express our sincere condolences to the families and wish the seven surviving workers a speedy recovery. With thousands of workers on our power-plant construction sites at Medupi, Kusile and Ingula, this incident clearly requires a renewed focus on safety so that we do not only bring new generating capacity online for the country, but that we do so safely,” stated Eskom chairman Zola Tsotsi.
As far as the next steps are concerned, Eskom has assigned a team of senior people to assist the families. A senior team of internal and external experts has been assigned to investigate the incident. Eskom has escalated the safety campaign it instituted earlier this year, and has ordered a work stoppage at all Eskom construction sites to reflect on the incident and review safety standards on site.
From Saturday (November 2) midday, Eskom started flying all Eskom flags at half-mast to “honour those who lost their lives while working for a better future for all South Africans”. This will be done for one week. “We ask for the nation’s support in our grief. We will use what we learn from this terrible tragedy to improve safety at all facilities”, is the word from Eskom.
President Jacob Zuma has also expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased and injured.
