Harmony Gold reports five deaths at two mines

Five people were killed in incidents at two of Harmony Gold’s South African mines, the company reported on Wednesday.

Three employees died on Tuesday after a collapse at the Joel mine in the Free State province, about 290 km (180 miles) southwest of Johannesburg, Harmony said in a statement.

Two other employees died in another incident on Tuesday morning at the Doornkop mine, 30 km (19 miles) west of Johannesburg, the company said.

Harmony, South Africa’s top gold producer, said the causes of the two incidents were being investigated.

South Africa’s mining industry reported 42 deaths last year, the lowest number to date and a 24% improvement on the previous year, according to official statistics released last month.

In January, the bodies of 78 miners were pulled from an illegal gold mine after a heavily-criticized police operation lasting several months that tried to force them to the surface.

(By Nelson Banya; Editing by Ros Russell)