(Reuters) -Diversified miner Sibanye Stillwater on Friday reported four deaths at its Burnstone gold mining project in South Africa following the collapse of a newly constructed surface waste rock conveyor.
In a statement, Sibanye said the incident took place on Thursday when five contractor employees were installing a head pulley of the conveyor infrastructure. Sibanye is developing a shallow gold mine at Burnstone, 75 kms (46.6 miles) east of Johannesburg in Mpumalanga province.
“Tragically four persons were fatally injured, while a fifth person sustained serious injuries and is currently receiving treatment,” Sibanye said.
It said a full investigation was underway.
South Africa’s Minerals Council said before the Burnstone incident, the country had recorded 11 mining-related fatalities since the beginning of the year, compared to 13 deaths in the same period last year.
In 2022, South Africa saw its safest year on record in mining, with accident-related deaths falling to 49 from 74 the previous year, according to a government report.
(Reporting by Nelson Banya;Editing by Mark Potter and Emelia Sithole-Matarise)