Four trapped miners found dead at North West mine
Four gold miners who were trapped underground since Friday at the Tau Lekoa Mine in Orkney, have been found dead.
A fifth miner was rescued with serious injuries on Friday after the accident at the Tau Lekoa Mine in the town of Orkney, the National Union of Mineworkers (NUM) said.
"The four mineworkers were found dead," a union statement said after the rescue team lost contact with the four men deep underground early Saturday.
"The last person we talked to said: 'We are suffocating please, bring us some oxygen'," said NUM president Joseph Montisetse.
Deadly accidents involving miners are common in South Africa, which has the deepest mines in the world.
Last year 81 people died in the country's mines, according to the department of mineral resources.