Over 900 trapped South African miners rescued Johannesburg, February 2 (IANS): More than 900 miners have been rescued after being trapped in a South African mine following a power failure, authorities said on Friday. A violent storm had knocked out the electricity supply on Wednesday night, trapping the miners, the BBC reported. The operation to rescue the trapped miners at the Beatrix mine in the Northern Free State got a boost on Friday morning when power was restored to a lift, said James Wellsted, spokesman of Sibanye-Stillwater which operates the mine. “All the trapped miners were brought to the surface,” Wellsted said, adding “there were cases of dehydration and high blood pressure but nothing serious”. Angry family members had gathered near the mine waiting to hear news of their relatives, who had spent more than a full day underground, the state broadcaster SABC reported. “It was stressful, there was not enough ventilation,” said mineworker Mike Khonto. “Thankfully our management managed to send us food and water.” Wellsted said there was “no indication so far that anyone has been in distress” but it had been a “traumatic experience”. Trade union officials had previously said they feared that the lives of the miners were at risk. Vehicle ploughs into pedestrians in Shanghai, injuring eighteen SHANGHAI, February 2 (Reuters): Eighteen people were injured on Friday, three seriously, after a vehicle caught fire and mounted the pavement in a busy part of central Shanghai and ploughed into pedestrians, said police. According to preliminary investigations, the fire was caused by a 40-year-old driver surnamed Chen who was smoking a cigarette inside the vehicle, the Shanghai public security bureau said on its official Weibo feed. Chen, who is currently receiving treatment, is suspected of illegally transporting dangerous substances, police said. The Shanghai government said in a short statement the vehicle hit the pedestrians on a road running next to People’s Square, injuring 18 people, three of them seriously. Shanghai-based news portal The Paper said the vehicle was a minivan, and cited eyewitnesses as saying it was on fire as it drove onto the pavement, knocked people down and came to a stop in front of a Starbucks outlet. A Shanghai-based Starbucks spokesman told Reuters the store was not damaged and its customers and employees were safe. “The store is currently closed and we will assist the authorities in their investigations,” he said. The incident coincides with a visit to the city by British Prime Minister Theresa May. Some bystanders tried to break the window of the vehicle and drag out the six people in the vehicle, including the driver, The Paper reported in a story later reposted by the official People’s Daily newspaper. Other witnesses told the news outlet that there were gas cylinders in the vehicle.
