One miner was rescued with injuries and taken to hospital, while four of his colleagues remained trapped underground.

ORKNEY - There are concerns that it could take up to three or four days to rescue four miners trapped underground at the Tau Lekoa Mine in the town of Orkney in the North West.

The miners were trapped late on Friday after two seismic events. It’s understood the group was trapped after rockfalls.



One miner was rescued with injuries and taken to hospital.

As efforts continued to bring them to the surface, the workers remained about 1350 meters below the surface.



The National Union of Mineworkers said it was concerned about the general safety of the workers at the mine.

MINEWORKERS IN SHOCK

Meanwhile, mineworkers at Tau Lekoa Mine said they were still in shock following Friday’s rockfalls. Workers expressed their concern about safety.

One miner who had been working at the mine for three years said he was still shocked.

“What happened really scared me a lot, I’m still shaken from the incident,” he said.

Another miner said he hoped that the rescue operation would yield positive results, but he doubted that his co-workers would come out alive.

“This has really frightened us as workers and we’re even worried we might lose our jobs,” he said.