Impala Platinum revealed yesterday (20th July) that production at its 14 Shaft in Rustenburg has been suspended after the death of nine workers.

The world's second-largest producer of platinum confirmed that a major fall of ground occurred at approximately 12:00 local time on Monday at the site, causing the fatalities.

Chief Executive Officer David Brown expressed his deep sorrow at the incident and extended his condolences to the families of the workers who lost their lives.

He said: "We are devastated at this major tragedy. Our thoughts are with the families and friends of our employees at this time."

Mr Brown added that the bodies have all been recovered and that Impala intends to hold a day of mourning across its operations on Friday.

The company has not released any information at present relating to the resumption of pgm production, which will be affected by the closure.

Impala Platinum currently has a number of interests on the western limb of the Bushveld Complex in South Africa and produced 1,055,000 ounces of refined platinum in the 2007 fiscal year.

Sources:

Fatal incident at Impala Platinum's 14 Shaft (20/07/09)

Update on fatal incident at Impala Platinum's 14 Shaft (21/07/09)

REG-Impala Platinum Hldg: FINAL UPDATE FATAL INCIDENT IMPALA PLATINUM'S 14 SHAFT (21/07/09)

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