(Adds KDC East mine reopened)
JOHANNESBURG, July 3 (Reuters) – A fire that killed five
workers at the weekend at the KDC West mine operated by world
No. 4 bullion producer Gold Fields was still burning on
Tuesday, the company said.
Gold Fields said in a statement the fire was under control
and the KDC East section of the operation would reopen with the
night shift on Tuesday, but the western part of the mine
remained closed.
The entire KDC operation produces just over one million
ounces a year, or about 31 percent of group production.
The deaths are a setback for the government and the
industry, trying to improve safety at mines that include the
deepest in the world.
In 2011, the country’s mining sector recorded no
“disasters”, defined as a single incident in which four or more
people die.
(Reporting by Ed Stoddard; Editing by Jon Herskovitz)
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