The South African gold mining giant, Harmony Gold Mining Limited is battling to rescue 3200 miners trapped in its Elandsrand mine. The workers became trapped after a lift links the mining halls with the surface snapped one of its electrical cables at about 10.00 am South African time.

The Harmony Gold spokeswoman Amelia Soares said there were no reported injuries to the trapped workers and a lift normally used to excavate waste from the mines is to be reconfigured and used to rescue the trapped workers. The spokeswoman also said some of the workers may be able to escape through a neighbouring mine owned by Anglo Ashanti.

The Elandsrand mine is located close to Carletonville in Mpumalanga province and was a bought by Harmony Gold in 2001 from AngloGold