JOHANNESBURG (miningweekly.com) – South African gold-miner Harmony Gold suspended operations the Elandsrand mine on Friday, after a worker was killed.

Harmony spokesperson Marian van der Walt said that a seismically related fall-of-ground incident at the Carletonville mine had claimed the life of one worker, on Friday morning. She noted that the company had been issued with a Section 54 notice, and that operations at the shaft have been suspended.

Harmony management and the Department of Mineral Resources would start an investigation into the accident on Friday, and the investigation was likely to last until Monday.

Van der Walt noted that during this time, the Elandsrand mine was likely to lose between 65 kg and 70 kg of gold production.

More than 140 lives have been claimed by the South African mining industry, in this year.

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