Coalbrook mining disaster
Coalbrook Mine in 1910 | |
| Date | 21 January 1960 |
|---|---|
| Time | 19h00 |
| Location | Northern Free State, South Africa |
| Coordinates | 26°51′11″S 27°52′44″E / 26.8531°S 27.8790°E |
| Cause | Cascading Pillar Failure |
| Casualties | |
| 437 dead and unknown number of mules | |
The Coalbrook mining disaster was the worst mining accident in the history of South Africa. The disaster occurred in the Coalbrook coal mine of Clydesdale Colliery on 21 January 1960 at around 19:00 when approximately 900 pillars caved in, almost 180 metres (590 ft) underground. The mine is situated in the Northern Free State, 21 kilometres (13 mi) south west of Vereeniging. About 1,000 miners were in the mine at the time and 437 died after being trapped, while the rest escaped through an incline shaft. The miners were suffocated by methane gas and crushed to death by rockfall.
Miners felt a strong blast wind, and many rushed up to the surface but were instructed to return underground or face imprisonment. Only two miners refused to go back underground. The majority of the miners at Clydesdale Colliery were Lesotho and Mozambique nationals.
Immediately after the incident, rescue teams arrived from other mines in the region and boreholes were drilled into areas where survivors were expected to be. When microphones were lowered, no signs of life were detected. After 11 days, the rescue was called off.