By Nyasa Times
Published: June 10, 2011
An accident occurred at Paladin’s Kayerekela uranium mine in Karonga on Thursday when a Yahama 4×4 Gamma Radiation Rigger driven by a Pit Technician, Maurice Dzinyemba, overturned in the slippery road to the mine commonly known as the pit seriously injuring the worker.
Eye witnesses told Nyasa Times that Dzinyemba sustained a serious open fracture around the ankle and the leg was almost severed.
One of the accidents at Kayelekela mine
He was airlifted in a Paladin chartered plane called from Lilongwe to a hospital in Blantyre with a possibility of being taken to South Africa.
Paladin’s General Manager-International Affairs – Greg Walker, confirmed to Nyasa Times about the accident.
“A Yahama Rhino all terrain vehicle being driven by a Malawian employee overturned on the Kayelekera mine-site yesterday afternoon. The driver, who was the sole occupant, suffered a fractured leg,” he said in an email response to a questionnaire.
“He was stabilized at the site clinic and then transferred by site ambulance to Karonga. The Company arranged evacuation by air charter to Blantyre, where the employee was admitted to hospital last night,” he added.
Walker said the victim was “in stable and comfortable condition” on Friday.
He said “an investigation into the circumstances of the incident has been launched onsite.”
In an effort to reduce hazardous radioactive ore dust, Paladin Africa Limited embarks on a dust suppression system which includes watering all the earth roads around the mine commonly known as the pit and Dzinyemba was driving his rigger down the watered slippery road which is a sole reason for the accident.
Last year a Mota-Engil Tipper overturned in the same conditions but the driver escaped unhurt.
In December 2009, a Mota-Engil construction dumper operator was instantly killed when the loaded dumper overturned. Mota-Engil was contracted by Paladin to do mining and earth construction.
In October 2009, one person was killed and many more injured when a minus bus lost its breaks down slope and overturned.
On 22nd March 2010, a Senior Geologist Alexander Kathewera and two other passengers were killed in a terrible accident involving a Paladin Mini Bus at Bwengu in Rumphi District.
There were also two mysterious deaths in February 2010 involving two workers working lime sections and one of them was Edward Mwafongo.
Read more:
http://www.nyasatimes.com/national/accident-at-karonga-uranium-mine.html
