Follow us
Collapse of stack at ArcelorMittal South Africa's steel plant in Vanderbijlpark kills three
The bodies of three workers were found overnight at ArcelorMittal South Africa's Vanderbijlpark Works, after the collapse of a coke battery stack at the steel plant on Wednesday, 17 February 2021. Spokesperson Tami Didiza said in a statement that a portion of a 90m stack at one of the operation’s coke batteries failed at around 02h00 and fell onto the coke battery control room in which the three employees were working. News reports claim that there was an explosion prior to the collapse. At around 10h00am, Didiza said search and rescue teams were on site and all efforts are focused on finding the missing employees. Rescue teams worked throughout the night to locate the trio. The cause of the incident is not known at this stage but the company has launched a full investigation. She said all relevant authorities have been notified and the company will provide its full support to their investigations.
Numsa spokesperson Phakamile Hlubi-Majola said, “We are convinced that had it not been for the intense efforts of workers themselves, who volunteered and risked their own lives and took the initiative through the massive pile of rubble to locate the workers trapped under the building, we would not have been able to recover these bodies.” The company has reached out to the families of the employees and will offer the necessary assistance. Sources: ENCA, The Citizen, Insurance Journal, EWN |
|
