All 15 miners who were trapped underground at Redwing Mine in Penhalonga are alive as rescue operation successful.
Nine miners have so far been retrieved from the collapsed shaft and rescue efforts continue to retrieve the remaining ones.
Eight miners have so far been rescued as the rescuers are retrieving a miner every 15 minutes.
Min of Mines and Mining Development Soda Zhemu (in black t shirt) & Minister of State for Manicaland Misheck Mugadza spoke to the artisal miners who have been rescued.
News went out on Thursday that:
- 11 people were suspected to be trapped underground about 20 metres below surface.
- Cause of the collapse of the mine shaft is suspected to be an earth tremor whose source is yet to be ascertained.
- The miners are suspected to have entered the mine through different shafts.
- The Rescue team of Metallon Gold at Redwing Mine together with Inspectors from our Provincial Office went underground around 0900am attempting to rescue and had to retreat after noticing the ground still carving in.
- The team tried again around 1200hrs and noticed that the ground had collapsed more.
- Metallon as a company has indicated that it has sufficient capacity to carry out the rescue mission.
- More cracks developed on surface and subsidence was noticed on surface around the mine.
- The ground is still curving in. It appears like the miners had mined out support pillars.
- I have established that Metallon Gold Redwing has been tributing mining areas at Redwing even to individuals. The shaft that collapsed was under some individuals and the people trapped were workers of the tribute. Management of tributed areas falls under the Principal owner, Metallon Gold in this case. Therefore, The Rescue team from Metallon has been leading in the rescue effort supported by Ministry of Mines and other stakeholders including ZRP and Civil Protection.
