Meagre stock to sustain life

Inside the Lily Mine’s lamp room were 100 lights and safety packs, handed to each worker before they descend into the mine. At the time of the collapse, mine authorities say the three workers had only their lunch packs for the fade as night falls. This sparks concern among members of the rescue team, who fear that time is running out for the three workers. They entered the lamp room with only their lunches for the Friday shift and, three days later, their food and water is running out.

The concern is visible on the face of Elmond Mnisi. “Even if my family is torn apart because of this, I’m okay. I’m keeping it together,” he says.

When the collapse happened, more than 20 000 tonnes of rock and debris crashed down into the 80m day. Rescue teams say they are not sure how the trio managed to survive for at least four full days, but remain hopeful that they were able to reach the safety packs, each of which contains 45 minutes of oxygen supply. hole, burying the container along with ventilation pipes, fencing and other material. The rescue mission started at 8.30am on Friday, about an hour after the ground beneath the 30m-long metal container used as a lamp room began to cave in.

Seventy-nine underground workers were the first to resurface from a ventilation pipe, unharmed and seemingly unaware of the tragedy they had narrowly avoided. Six other workers followed, climbing 250m up nearly vertical steps.

“The team leader told us we had to leave the shaft because there was an emergency. We didn’t know what happened, even though we had come down the shaft about 15 minutes earlier. When I got to the surface I was shocked … I’m praying for my colleagues,” says one of the workers who escaped any harm.

Lily Mine has 13 levels underground. The collapse has left the first four levels inaccessible and rescuers say the container is placed between the fourth and fifth levels.

After four days of searching, the team starts questioning whether they’ve focused their efforts in the correct area. Their decision is vindicated when an electromagnetic survey machine, usually used during the exploration phase of mining, arrives at the mine in the early hours of Tuesday morning after it was transported from Johannesburg, four hours away. The machine is lowered into the tunnels below the rockfall using hoists, and then used to pinpoint the exact location of the container.

The team’s progress is slow and, after receiving no sign of life for more than 12 hours, rescuers start fearing the worst. Morale saps away. Energies flag. Then: tap … tap … tap. The signal reaches the rescuers’ ears at about 4pm on Tuesday. Efforts are redoubled.

“There’s definitely someone in that container registering our signal. We think there was a period of silence because our employees are slipping in and out of consciousness. That’s not a bad sign, because a slower heartbeat means you breathe less oxygen and can survive for longer,” says Begg.

Tuesday’s audio signal is also a sigh of relief for the parents, who have been praying for a sign. Mnisi said: “I was encouraged by the news. It gave me a sense of renewed strength. The families that are here have experienced mixed emotions. Hearing about the signals helps keep everyone focused on praying for them.”

The 17-member team is using controlled explosions to crack and dismantle boulders blocking the pathway to the container. This can be a tedious process, because they’re faced with rocks that are up to 5m tall, stuck in a vertical position. First they drill into the rock and then insert a small amount of explosives, using mud packs, to crack it. When this is done, the rocks are dismantled and hoisted up the escape route.

This has become the only way to get into the mine, leaving the rescue crew vulnerable if the controlled blasts are mistimed or another collapse happens.

After spending nearly 12 hours underground with the rescue team, Amcu’s Mathunjwa describes the operation as “delicate”.

“The co-operation between the teams is fantastic. They are working well under the circumstances, but it takes long because you have to carefully blast the rocks and clear the debris. I must congratulate the operators of the machines, the crew, who have been able to do the job in a very tight space.”

Lily Mine has one of the best safety records for gold mines in the country and Begg describes the collapse as a “freak accident”.

By Thursday morning, there are very different scenes outside the mine. The rescue effort was briefly called off the previous night because of rain, which threatened the stability of the ground around the collapsed area. Another assessment of the ground was also conducted by the teams on site, to determine whether the supporting walls would collapse as a result of the amount of rock and debris being removed during the search.

A mineral resources department investigation into the collapse is also underway, adding to the pressure on the mine.

While officials at the mine reconsider their strategy, they remain silent about their plans, saying only that they need to prepare for any eventualities.

Hope seems to be fading among residents and relatives, who look to union officials for strength and encourage each other with song.

It’s been a week since the collapse occurred. And it’s been days since any signal, any tap tap tap, was heard from inside the metal container.