3,000 workers trapped in mine

A water pipe burst and soil in an underground shaft probably collapsed, trapping about 3,000 workers in a gold mine near Johannesburg, South Africa’s economic capital and gold-mining centre, the workers’ union said.

It was not immediately possible to get comment from the management of Harmony Gold’s Elandsrand Mine in Carletonville, nor details, such about how deep down the shaft is.