A DAM at South Africa’s abandoned Jagersfontein diamond mine collapsed early Sunday, triggering heavy flooding that damaged property and killed at least three people.
The disaster occurred in the diamond mining town of Jagersfontein at around 6:00 a.m. (0400 GMT), the government said, forcing officials to evacuate scores of residents to nearby farms.
About nine houses were swept away and more than 20 damaged by flood waters after the dam wall of the historic mine collapsed, Nathi Shabangu, a spokesman the Department of Mineral Resources and Energy (DMRE) said via SMS.
The mine in Free State province, formerly owned by De Beers Plc, was shut in the 1970s. The dam collapse also resulted in the loss of power in the small town of Jagersfontein, about 100 kilometers (62 miles) from Bloemfontein, the regional capital, and other nearby townships.
The government said in a statement that search and rescue efforts are continuing at the dormant diamond mine, which was once owned by De Beers, a unit of Anglo American (AAL.L).
“A detailed report on the circumstances surrounding the incident will be released upon compilation,” the office of the Free State Premier said.
Minister of Mineral Resources and Energy Gwede Mantashe told reporters that nine houses were swept away while 20 were completely damaged by flooding from the tailing dam.
“Compensation for fatalities, compensation in terms of damage to property will be taken as a responsibility of the company that owns the slimes dam,” he said.
State-owned power utility Eskom said in a separate statement it lost bulk electricity supply in the area when its Rietkuil substation was engulfed by mud and aims to restore supply to the Jagersfontein mine before the end of the day.
“It is impossible to estimate when supply will be restored or to determine the extent of the damage,” Eskom said.
The flooding damaged cellphone towers, hitting communications, and affected drinking water, while some roads were cut off. Many sheep have also been washed away, non-governmental organization, Gift of the Givers said.
Mobile operator Vodacom (VODJ.J) told Reuters that two of its impacted base station sites are now back online after deploying generators to power them, while rival MTN (MTNJ.J) said it is looking for an alternative way to access a tower it shares with others in order to restore power and services.
The Minerals Council industry body said it had reached out to authorities to offer whatever practical support and assistance that the industry can provide.
De Beers said at the time of the sale of the Jagersfontein mine and tailings in 2010 to Superkolong Consortium, which comprised of black investors, that it had produced some of the world’s largest gems when operating between 1870 and 1971.
REUTERS and BLOOMBERG
