CAPE TOWN, Feb. 19 (Xinhua) -- Search and rescue operations intensified on Thursday at a diamond mine in South Africa's Northern Cape Province after a mud rush earlier this week trapped five miners underground, with the Minerals Council South Africa (MCSA) sending a team to assist in the rescue efforts.
The incident occurred in the early hours of Tuesday at the Ekapa Mine in Kimberley, the provincial capital. Mine management authorities confirmed later the same day that an emergency response had been activated, but communication with the trapped miners was cut off.
Rescue teams are racing against time to reach the five miners, who remain 890 meters underground after a sudden mud rush flooded part of the shaft. The MCSA has dispatched a team to provide support.
"Our immediate focus is to offer support to Ekapa's management, the affected operation, its employees, and their families. Finding the five people reported missing in the mud rush is the priority," Mzila Mthenjane, chief executive officer of the MCSA, said in a statement.
The council added that its team will coordinate with all relevant authorities and stakeholders.
Emergency crews have been continuously pumping water, but access to the trapped miners remains blocked due to difficult underground conditions, local media reported. Mine management said all available resources are being deployed to reach the workers. ■
