Eleven workers were killed and 75 others were injured on Monday at a mine owned by Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. when a lift bringing the workers back to the surface dropped about 200 meters (656 feet), reported Bloomberg.
The lift, which was carrying employees, unexpectedly began to descend, the company stated on Tuesday. Its rapid descent was halted when the conveyance counterweight became trapped by the jack catches.
“This is the darkest day in the history of Impala,” said Chief Executive Officer Nico Muller in the statement. Operations were suspended, with an investigation undertaken to determine the cause of the accident.
South Africa is the world’s largest producer of platinum. The country reported 49 fatalities from mining accidents in 2022, a decrease from 74 the previous year. According to South African government figures, deaths from mining accidents in South Africa have steadily declined over the last two decades, dropping from nearly 300 in the year 2000.