Six miners die after being trapped underground at the Phalaborwa Copper Mine
Police in Phalaborwa are investigating the death of six people who were trapped underground in the early hours of Sunday, 15 July, at the Phalaborwa Copper Mine.
LIMPOPO – According to police spokesperson, Col Moatshe Ngoepe, a joint search operation led by the Search and Rescue Teams was activated soon after it was reported to the police.
The first body was retrieved during the day and the search operation continued into the early hours of this morning when five bodies were retrieved.
“The deceased are all men and the process of identifying them is still unfolding. The cause of this incident is still not clear at this stage but police investigations, in conjunction with other role players including the affected mine, will tell as they are still continuing,” he concluded.
Raeesa Sempe is a Caxton Award-winning Digital Editor with nine years’ experience in the industry. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Media Studies from the University of the Witwatersrand and started her journey as a community journalist for the Polokwane Review in 2015. She then became the online journalist for the Review in 2016 where she excelled in solidifying the Review’s digital footprint through Facebook lives, content creation and marketing campaigns. Raeesa then moved on to become the News Editor of the Bonus Review in 2019 and scooped up the Editorial Employee of the Year award in the same year. She is the current Digital Editor of the Polokwane Review-Observer, a position she takes pride in. Raeesa is married with one child and enjoys spending time with friends, listening to music and baking – when she has the time. “I still believe that if your aim is to change the world, journalism is a more immediate short-term weapon." – Tom Stoppard
