Rescue teams are currently conducting an operation to locate two South African National Defence Force (SANDF) members who fell into a disused mine shaft in Roodepoort in Johannesburg on Friday morning.
According to police, the members were in pursuit of suspected illegal miners during operation Prosper, when they slipped and fell into the shaft.
Their current wellbeing is still unclear at this stage.
Gauteng police spokesperson Brenda Muridili says, “At approximately 06:00 this morning, SA National Defence Force members conducting an anti-illegal mining operation at the unused and abandoned CRD Mine in West Johannesburg spotted suspected illegal miners (zama-zamas) exiting the underground workings and a pursuit of the suspects ensued into a tunnel. During the pursuit, two members of the team tragically slipped and fell into an open, abandoned vertical mine shaft. Specialised emergency response units, including Mine Rescue Services and disaster management teams, were activated immediately and are currently on-site executing rescue operations.”
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