3,200 South African Gold Miners Rescued

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CARLETONVILLE, South Africa — The last of 3,200 gold miners trapped for more than 24 hours in a deep shaft were brought safely to the surface last night, ending one of South Africa’s biggest rescue operations, mining officials said. The final workers emerged just after 9 p.m., singing and dancing, according to the Harmony Gold Mining Co. No casualties were reported. A pressurized air pipe snapped at the mine near Johannesburg and tumbled down a shaft Wednesday, causing extensive damage to an elevator and stranding the miners. The rescue operation had dragged on longer than expected. Some of those stranded more than a mile underground had gone down Tuesday for the night shift.


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