By Alex Eliseev and Sapa
One by one they came up from the depths, their eyes glazed, some smiling, others near tears. Their faces tell the story of one of the biggest and most successful rescue operations in mining history.
By 8am on Thursday more than 1 000 of the 3 200 miners who were trapped about 1.5km underground at Harmony Gold's Elandsrand mine near Carletonville had been lifted to safety.
The men were trapped when a falling pipe damaged the main elevator. Rescuers then began lifting workers through a smaller shaft and estimated that it would take until 4pm on Thursday to get them all out.
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'I'm very happy. I'm safe through the grace of God' Exhausted, hungry and stressed miners told of their 30-hour ordeal. They were angry because, they said, management had not communicated properly with them and an alternative escape route was under water. Mine spokesperson Amelia Soares said: "No one has reported any water."
The National Union of Mine-workers also alleged that lack of maintenance had caused the pipe to collapse and fall down the mine, which cut the electricity supply to the lift normally used to hoist workers out of the mine.
Soares said Harmony had spent R1,2-billion on its shafts in 2006 and a further R114-million of capital spending.
Minerals and Energy Minister Buyelwa Sonjica was due to arrive at the mine later on Thursday morning.
Harmony chairperson Patrice Motsepe had been at the scene the whole night, Soares said.
'For every death in a mine, there should be a day of mourning' Harmony Gold general manager Stan Bierschenk said that at 6.20am on Wednesday, a 70cm diameter pipe carrying compressed air had ruptured and fallen down the mine's main shaft. About 15m of the pipe had broken and crashed down the shaft, damaging its steelworks and cables.
The main shaft is used to transport workers down into the 3.2km- deep mine. The pipe also cut power to a subshaft.
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