Rustenburg - Paramedics on Tuesday confirmed no miners were trapped in mines around Orkney in the North West following an earthquake that shook the region.
ER24 officials who had been sent to one mine following reports that some miners were trapped in 11 shafts were standing down, said spokeswoman Luyanda Majija.
“There are no entrapments. Most miners working in various mines have been brought out,” Majija said.
“Most shafts have been evacuated.”
Around 2.30pm, only one person had been confirmed dead.
“A 31-year-old man was found deceased in an old mining village,” Majija said.
“He was found lying under some debris.”
The incident occurred close to the epicentre of the earthquake, recorded at a magnitude of 5.5 by the Council for Geosciences in SA.
The United States Geological Survey reported it as being a 5.3 magnitude quake.
Large parts of the country and parts of Botswana were reported to have felt the quake, which lasted for about a minute.
It resulted in buildings shaking, windows rattling, and several buildings being evacuated.
Sapa