Kinross Mining Disaster
Date16 September 1986
LocationKinross, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Casualties
177 dead and 235 injured

The Kinross mine disaster on 16 September 1986 resulted in the deaths of 177 miners and the injury of 235 others,[1] making it one of the largest mining incidents in South Africa.[1]

The disaster occurred at the Kinross gold mine when welding set alight an acetylene cylinder. The tunnel walls were lined with a polyurethane foam coating to prevent water seepage, and this caught alight, along with plastic wire coverings, releasing toxic fumes that suffocated the miners.[2]

After the disaster, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) complained about low safety standards in the mines.[2] Workers disrupted a memorial service sponsored by the mine owners, objecting to the exclusion of miner representatives from the event, and staged a day of protests on 1 October with workers staying away from work and holding memorial services to mourn those who died in the accident.[3]

Other South African mine accidents that killed a large number of people include the 1960 Coalbrook mining disaster with 437 fatalities,[4] the Vaal Reefs mining disaster in 1995 that killed 104 mine workers,[5] and the Trans-Natal Colliery methane gas explosion that killed 39.[6]

References

  1. 1 2 "1986: Kinross Miners 'killed where they stood'". BBC. 16 September 1986. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
  2. 1 2 Keys, Laurinda (17 September 1986). "177 Dead, 235 Injured in Mine Disaster". AP. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  3. ↑ "Day of mourning held for Kinross mine disaster that claimed 177 lives". SA History Online. Retrieved 12 June 2023.
  4. ↑ "The world's worst coal mining disasters". 15 May 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2015.
  5. ↑ "As Many As 100 Feared Dead in Gold Mine Accident". Associated Press. 11 May 1995. Archived from the original on 26 April 2019. Retrieved 26 April 2019.
  6. ↑ "Safety before profits: in solidarity with mineworkers". South African History Archive. 13 October 2010.
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