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| Deadly clashes at South Africa's Lonmin Marikana mine | Deadly clashes at South Africa's Lonmin Marikana mine |
| (40 minutes later) | |
| Police in South Africa have opened fire during clashes with striking workers at the Marikana platinum mine, leaving at least seven people dead, witnesses say. | Police in South Africa have opened fire during clashes with striking workers at the Marikana platinum mine, leaving at least seven people dead, witnesses say. |
| Police opened fire after miners carrying machetes defied an ultimatum to disarm, reports from the scene say. | Police opened fire after miners carrying machetes defied an ultimatum to disarm, reports from the scene say. |
| The mine, owned by Lonmin, has been at the centre of a violent industrial dispute exacerbated by inter-union tensions. | The mine, owned by Lonmin, has been at the centre of a violent industrial dispute exacerbated by inter-union tensions. |
| Ten people had previously died as a result of clashes since last Friday. | Ten people had previously died as a result of clashes since last Friday. |
| The striking miners had gathered on a rocky hill near Marikana, the third-largest platinum mine in the world. | |
| Some union leaders and police had tried in vain to disperse the crowd, some of whom said they were prepared to die on the hill. | |
| During the clashes, missiles - thought to be either petrol bombs or grenades - were thrown at police, who responded by opening fire, eyewitnesses said. | During the clashes, missiles - thought to be either petrol bombs or grenades - were thrown at police, who responded by opening fire, eyewitnesses said. |
| "There are bodies on the ground; I saw one with a bullet wound on the forehead," one eyewitness told the BBC. | "There are bodies on the ground; I saw one with a bullet wound on the forehead," one eyewitness told the BBC. |
| Union rivalry | |
| The recent violence was initially thought to have been triggered by a turf war between the long-established National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the newly-formed Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which is more militant. | The recent violence was initially thought to have been triggered by a turf war between the long-established National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) and the newly-formed Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), which is more militant. |
| However, the AMCU has since demanded a pay rise of 12,000 rand ($1,500; £930) per month. | However, the AMCU has since demanded a pay rise of 12,000 rand ($1,500; £930) per month. |
| Lonmin said in a statement on Thursday that the strike was illegal and that any striking workers who did not return to work by Friday would be sacked. | |
| The company said it had missed six days of production as a result of the unrest, and estimated it would lose around 2% of its normal yearly output of saleable platinum. The company's share price dropped by more than 6% on Thursday on the London Stock Exchange. | |
| The violence has shocked South Africans, with many finding the scenes reminiscent of how the apartheid regime dealt with protests, the BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg reports. | The violence has shocked South Africans, with many finding the scenes reminiscent of how the apartheid regime dealt with protests, the BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg reports. |
| Are you in the area? Have you been affected? Send us your comments using the form below. | Are you in the area? Have you been affected? Send us your comments using the form below. |