Aquarius miners escape pit fire

Aquarius Platinum said that all the staff who had been trapped in its Mimosa mine in Zimbabwe had been safely evacuated.

Aquarius Platinum said that all the staff who had been trapped in its Mimosa mine in Zimbabwe had been safely evacuated.

The firm's shares fell 6% after news of a fire at the 50-50 joint venture between Aquarius and South Africa's Impala Platinum Holdings.

The blaze was caused when a conveyor belt in the main decline ignited, the FTSE 250 company said.

Subscribe to MoneyWeek

Subscribe to MoneyWeek today and get your first six magazine issues absolutely FREE

Get 6 issues free
https://cdn.mos.cms.futurecdn.net/flexiimages/mw70aro6gl1676370748.jpg

Sign up to Money Morning

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Don't miss the latest investment and personal finances news, market analysis, plus money-saving tips with our free twice-daily newsletter

Sign up

The majority of the workforce was evacuated following the incident but 75 employees had been trapped overnight due to low visibility.

"At this stage, the extent of the damage and impact on production cannot be ascertained," Aquarius said.