Update 5:08 p.m. Thursday- The workers killed in an accident at Stillwater Mine were 55 and 65 years old and were riding in a utility vehicle when they were struck by a locomotive underground.
The Stillwater County News reported that investigators from Mine Safety Health Administration (MSHA) are on scene at the Stillwater Mine.
A call was made at 2:26 p.m. Wednesday requesting ambulance and fire help from Stillwater County. A Help flight helicopter was requested at 2:28 pm., and the coroner summoned at 3:20 p.m., the paper reported on its Facebook page.
The underground day and night shifts at Stillwater Mine were canceled for Thursday and Friday.
The last fatality at Stillwater Mine was in 2011, when it was under previous ownership. Its current owner, Sibanye Gold, bought the mine in 2017.
Update 8:05 a.m. Thursday
Stillwater Mine officials confirmed two employees were killed in an accident on Wednesday.
Here's the statement Q2 received from the company:
It is with deep sadness that we report the loss of two of our fellow colleagues in a vehicle-related accident while working underground at the Stillwater Mine at about 2 p.m. on Wednesday, June 9, 2021. An investigation is underway, and we are working closely with our safety regulators to determine the cause of the accident.
At Sibanye-Stillwater, we value safety above all else. Our thoughts and prayers go out to everyone impacted by this tragic event.
_______________________________________________________________________________
Update 9:35 p.m. Sheriff Charles Kem has confirmed that crews are responding to an industrial accident.
Further information, he said, would need to come from officials with the mine.
An ambulance is on standby at the scene.
(first report) Emergency responders are at an incident at the Stillwater Mine near Nye Wednesday evening.
The Stillwater County Sheriff's Office did not give MTN News details about the nature of the incident, or what they are doing on the scene.
MTN News has also reached out to an official with Sibanye-Stillwater, which owns the mine, but has not yet heard back.
This is a developing story. Check back for details.
