18 South African miners still missing after underground fire

Eighteen workers were still unaccounted for Sunday following a fire at a South African mine that had trapped nearly 500 workers underground, a spokeswoman for mining company Harmony Gold said.

“About 459 miners have been brought to the surface or are busy being brought to surface,” Charmane Russell told AFP. “Eighteen are currently unaccounted for.”

The fire at the mine near Carletonville, about an hour from Johannesburg, broke out around 0740 GMT.

Russell said rescue operations were continuing.