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| South Africa gold mine fire: Eight bodies found | South Africa gold mine fire: Eight bodies found |
| (about 2 hours later) | |
| Rescue workers at a South African gold mine say they have recovered eight bodies after a fire and rock fall. | Rescue workers at a South African gold mine say they have recovered eight bodies after a fire and rock fall. |
| One other miner remains missing at the Doornkop mine west of Johannesburg, the government said. | One other miner remains missing at the Doornkop mine west of Johannesburg, the government said. |
| Earlier, eight other miners were found unharmed in an underground refuge chamber and brought to the surface, mine owners Harmony Gold said. | |
| The fire began on Tuesday evening about 1,700m (5,600ft) below ground. The cause of the blaze is not yet clear. | The fire began on Tuesday evening about 1,700m (5,600ft) below ground. The cause of the blaze is not yet clear. |
| "The situation is deeply regrettable," Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said in a statement. | "The situation is deeply regrettable," Mineral Resources Minister Susan Shabangu said in a statement. |
| "We must ensure that we do all we can to get to the bottom of what caused this incident in order to prevent similar occurrences in future." | "We must ensure that we do all we can to get to the bottom of what caused this incident in order to prevent similar occurrences in future." |
| Eric Gcilitshana of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said the bodies had been discovered on Wednesday evening. | Eric Gcilitshana of the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said the bodies had been discovered on Wednesday evening. |
| "This is a very sad moment for us in the NUM. Our hearts go out to the families of the deceased," he was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper. | "This is a very sad moment for us in the NUM. Our hearts go out to the families of the deceased," he was quoted as saying in The Star newspaper. |
| Mine officials said earlier that the rescuers had been struggling to access the affected area because of smoke and falling rocks. | Mine officials said earlier that the rescuers had been struggling to access the affected area because of smoke and falling rocks. |
| Although the cause of the tragedy has not been established, the NUM has suggested that an earth tremor caused a rock fall which triggered the fire. | Although the cause of the tragedy has not been established, the NUM has suggested that an earth tremor caused a rock fall which triggered the fire. |
| Harmony Gold has confirmed there was some seismic activity in the area. | Harmony Gold has confirmed there was some seismic activity in the area. |
| The NUM has called for an urgent investigation into the incident. | |
| Correspondents say it is the most serious accident in South Africa's mines since nine workers were killed in a rock fall at a platinum mine in July 2009. | |
| South Africa has some of the world's deepest gold mines and safety is a major issue, not least because thousands of illegal miners also operate in the same areas, says the BBC's Andrew Harding in Johannesburg. | |
| Mining is a vital part of the South African economy. | Mining is a vital part of the South African economy. |