Eleven people were killed Monday at a platinum mine about 150 kilometers from the South African city of Johannesburg when an elevator carrying workers collapsed, the company that owns it said Tuesday.
“Eighty-six employees were in the elevator, 11 were killed and all others were taken to hospitals,” an Impala Platinum spokesman told the France-Presse (AFP) news agency, adding that there were serious injuries.
In this thousand-metre-deep mine, northwest of Johannesburg, the lift carried miners from the base and stopped on the way up to “pick up miners at the end of the shift” shortly before 5pm on Monday (3pm in Lisbon). Company spokesman Johan Theron told AFP.