A mine elevator failure in South Africa has killed 11 people and injured 75 more.
The lift suddenly dropped around 650 feet while carrying workers to the surface of the platinum mine on Monday evening in the northern city of Rustenberg.
Nico Muller, CEO of Impala Platinum Holdings (Implats), which operates the mine, said it was “the darkest day in the history” of the company.
The company said an investigation has begun into what caused the elevator to drop and the mine suspended all operations on Tuesday.
All 86 miners killed or injured were in the elevator, said a company spokesperson. Some of the injured had "serious compact fractures".
The spokesperson said the elevator dropped approximately 200 metres down the shaft in what he said was a highly unusual accident.
South Africa is the world's largest producer of platinum. Impala is among the producers that operate some of the deepest mining shafts on the planet.
The country had 49 fatalities from all mining accidents in 2022, a decrease from 74 the year before.
Deaths from South African mining accidents have steadily decreased in the last two decades from nearly 300 in the year 2000, according to South African government figures.
