Kinross mining disaster

1987 mine fire in South Africa with 177 fatalities

Kinross Mining DisasterDate| 16 September 1986

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Location| Kinross, Mpumalanga, South Africa
Casualties
177 dead and 235 injured

The Kinross mine disaster (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, which 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 1986 with workers striking to hold 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, which killed 104 mine workers,[5] and the Trans-Natal Colliery methane gas explosion, killing 39.[6]

## References

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1. ^ a b "1986: Kinross Miners 'killed where they stood'". BBC. 16 September 1986. Retrieved 2 July 2017.
2. ^ a b 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.