An overloaded elevator in a Lusaka copper mine went into a freefall on Wednsday. Four are confirmed dead as of now, but more are expected. Whilst in freefall the elevator door apparently opened and some miners fell out only to be subsequently crushed when the elevator finally came to rest at a depth of 500 meters.
The exact number of casualties are yet to be released since it is difficult to determine the number of victims as what was picked up from the bottom of the shaft were piles of pieces of human flesh.
The report said local police had a tough time to control angry relatives who besieged the mine and smashed a police vehicle.
The mine premise has since been sealed off by police.
Similiar pressures from the growing demand for copper from Zambia have the same effect in Chinese coal mines. In this case an elevator with a max capacity of 66 had 100 miners in it, possibly leading to the free fall. The Bangladeshi ferry disaster earlier this week followed the same template. Overloading due to excessive demand. In that case the demand for transportation.
Zambia, the world's fourth largest copper producer, has recently witnessed an increasing number of mine accidents, as production is being driven up by higher prices and strong demands on the international market.
In April, explosion at a mining explosive factory killed over 40 workers in Chambishi, also in the Copperbelt province.
As demand continues to grow these type of accidents will only continue when safety regulations are loosely enforced.
... via China View.
... here's a link to the Chambisi explosion incident mentioned above.
Recent Comments