BARBERTON – At 08:40 on Wednesday morning it was exactly five full days since disaster struck at Lily Mine in Louisville, near Barberton in Mpumalanga.
For the past 120-plus hours, rescue teams have been working non-stop to get to the last three mineworkers that remain trapped in a metal container which the mine used as a lamp room.
Christo de Klerk, Mine Rescue Services chief executive, said rescue teams had moved 550 t of rock and debris on Tuesday, "but failed to get any sign of the lamp room".
The teams say the last time they made contact with the workers was at 13:00 on Tuesday. Since then, there's been only silence from the container.
Tents were erected on the site outside the gate late on Tuesday.
The workers were trapped on Friday, February 5 at 8:40, when the lamp room where they were on duty, collapsed into an 80 m hole.
Family members of Pretty Mabuza, Yvonne Mnisi and Solomon Nyarenda have been gathering at the mine, waiting for news. Residents of Louisville came to offer support.
Late on Tuesday, operations director Mike Begg said they were still between 12 m and 15 m away from the container.
The rescue operation continued right through the night and continues on Wednesday.