One person has died and four others injured after they were trapped underground at Beatrix mine near Theunissen in the Free State.
Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU) National Health and Safety Chairperson Xolani Bokoloshe says the injured miners were rescued last night and taken to hospital.
Two of them are in a critical condition. The body of the deceased has also been retrieved.
Bokoloshe says morning shift miners have not yet gone underground.
Unions are currently in a closed meeting with management. The incident has affected operations at the mine.
Previous incidents
In a similar incident in Febraury 2018, almost 1 400 mineworkers were trapped underground at the Beatrix mine following a violent storm which caused power outages at four shafts.
Some of the mineworkers who were trapped for more than two days said the incident will forever be engraved in their minds.
In the video below from 2018, Beatrix mine workers share their ordeal after having been trapped underground:
