The Kinross mine disaster killed 177 miners and injured 235, becoming one of South Africa's deadliest mining incidents and prompting labor safety protests.
Key Facts
- Deaths
- 177 miners killed
- Injuries
- 235 miners injured
- Cause
- Welding ignited acetylene cylinder
- Toxic material
- Polyurethane foam and plastic wire coverings
- Date
- 12 April 1985
- Mine type
- Gold mine
By the Numbers
Location
Cause → Event → Consequence
During routine work at the Kinross gold mine, welding operations ignited an acetylene cylinder. The tunnel walls were lined with polyurethane foam applied to prevent water seepage, and plastic coverings on electrical wiring were also present, both of which proved highly combustible once the fire began.
The resulting fire spread rapidly through the mine tunnels, burning the polyurethane foam and plastic wire coverings and releasing dense toxic fumes. The suffocating gases overcame 177 miners, killing them, while a further 235 were injured in one of the worst mining disasters in South African history.
Following the disaster, the National Union of Mineworkers criticized low safety standards in the industry. Mine workers disrupted a memorial service organized by mine owners due to the exclusion of miner representatives, and on 1 October 1986 staged a day of strikes and protests to hold their own memorial services for the victims.