JOHANNESBURG - VEDANTA Zinc International (VZI) on Thursday recovered the body of one of the two missing employees at its Gamsberg South Pit site in the Northern Cape following a geotechnical accident on Tuesday.
The body of the late Melvin Rodney Saal, 45, a load and haul foreman at Moolmans was recovered, said the company.
VZI said the search and rescue operation to find the remaining employee who was, still unaccounted for, was continuing and would remain “the mine’s absolute focus.
“All of us at VZI and Moolmans are extremely saddened and have sent our heartfelt sympathy to Melvin’s family. We commit to assisting the family, now and in the weeks and months to come,”said the group.
VZI rescued eight out of ten miners who were trapped after the accident on Tuesday and suspended the operation until further notice.
VZI said that the search was being supported by Mine Rescue Services and the Black Mountain Mining Complex (BMC) Proto teams. Helicopters, drones and search dogs were also actively assisting with the search and rescue efforts on site, said the group.
Gamsberg is 69.6 percent owned by VZI and 24.4 percent owned by South Africa’s diversified mining company Exxaro Resources and was officially opened by President Cyril Ramaphosa in February 2019. The mine has a reserve and resource of more than 214 million tons, and an estimated life of mine of more than 30 years.
BUSINESS REPORT ONLINE