South African company Sibanye Stillwater reported on May 23 that rescue operations are underway to free 289 miners trapped underground in one of the shafts of the Kloof gold mine near Johannesburg. The employees are safe and gathered at an underground assembly point in the gold mine, which is one of the company's deepest mines, the company said.

According to the same source, food is being delivered to those trapped, and if preparatory work proceeds successfully, it will be possible to bring the trapped individuals out from underground within a day. Mining accidents are not uncommon in South Africa. At the beginning of the year, for example, 78 bodies were found in one of the illegal gold mines.