ONE miner was killed on Wednesday at Blanket Mine after he was trapped by his shifting chain, while two others were injured and rushed to Mater Dei Hospital with serious injuries, when the ground they were working on caved in.
Report By Albert Ncube, Own Correspondent
Blanket Mine general manager Caxton Mangezi confirmed the accident, which occurred on Wednesday night at around 11pm. Mangezi said he could not release the name of the deceased person as his next of kin were yet to be informed.
“The two who were injured had no safety chains. One of them is in a critical condition, while the other one is stable,” he said.
“Unfortunately, I cannot release the name of the deceased person as his relatives are yet to be informed.”
Although initial reports had indicated that there had been an underground explosion, Mangezi refuted the claims. When Southern Eye visited the mine yesterday it was business as usual, with workers going about their duties.
Security barred journalists from entering the mine premises and only spoke with Mangezi using a telephone at the gate.
The accident has raised concerns on the safety of mine workers, with some workers who spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they had warned management of the impending danger.
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There were claims that management wanted to cover up the incident.
The workers said the area where the miner had died was dangerous, as there was loose debris.
“At one point we advised our supervisors on the dangers of operating at that point, but nothing was done and now we have this tragedy,” one of the workers, who was on his lunch break, said.
