Post by Dee on Oct 25, 2006 12:30:03 GMT -5
Search for missing woman continues
October 25, 2006, 17:00
The search for the 46-year-old woman who disappeared into an old mine shaft in Primrose near Germiston is set to contine. Last night, Joyce Shongwe was burning scrap metal when she plunged into a sinkhole. It is the second incident in the area.
The woman disappeared into the sinkhole at about 7:30pm last night when a neighbour heard her screams.
Emergency services have been working around the clock, but the chances of finding her alive are fading. Johan Van den Heever, from the Ekurhuleni emergency services, said: "To try and rescue her from the top is dangerous because the whole ground around the opening can all cave in and that is too dangerous for a rescue operation."
Ground not solid
The ground in Makusi is not solid. Last year, a woman fell into a mine shaft one and a half kilometres away from Makusi, and since then not much has been done to secure the area. The council is shifting responsibility.
Sugan Moodley, from the Ekurhuleni emergency services, said: "The land does not belong to the council, it belongs to the mine. From the mine themselves, their spokesperson will have to come in and justify as to the movement of these people from this area."
While the land caves in around them, the people live in fear, waiting for safe, alternative land and hopefully, houses one day.
Story
October 25, 2006, 17:00
The search for the 46-year-old woman who disappeared into an old mine shaft in Primrose near Germiston is set to contine. Last night, Joyce Shongwe was burning scrap metal when she plunged into a sinkhole. It is the second incident in the area.
The woman disappeared into the sinkhole at about 7:30pm last night when a neighbour heard her screams.
Emergency services have been working around the clock, but the chances of finding her alive are fading. Johan Van den Heever, from the Ekurhuleni emergency services, said: "To try and rescue her from the top is dangerous because the whole ground around the opening can all cave in and that is too dangerous for a rescue operation."
Ground not solid
The ground in Makusi is not solid. Last year, a woman fell into a mine shaft one and a half kilometres away from Makusi, and since then not much has been done to secure the area. The council is shifting responsibility.
Sugan Moodley, from the Ekurhuleni emergency services, said: "The land does not belong to the council, it belongs to the mine. From the mine themselves, their spokesperson will have to come in and justify as to the movement of these people from this area."
While the land caves in around them, the people live in fear, waiting for safe, alternative land and hopefully, houses one day.
Story
