Two More Bodies Recovered from Ekapa Mine Mudslide Incident

• Two additional bodies were recovered from the Ekapa Mine mudslide after five miners went missing in February 2026
• Mine operations have been suspended following the mudslide, with an investigation ongoing into the incident
• The company has since applied for liquidation amidst continuing search and recovery efforts

Justin Williams, a journalist at Briefly News since 2024, covers South Africa’s current affairs. Before joining Briefly News, he served as a writer and chief editor at Right for Education Africa’s South African chapter.

NORTHERN CAPE, KIMBERLEY - Two more bodies have been recovered following a mudslide at the Ekapa Mine in Kimberley, where five miners went missing in February 2026.

Two more bodies recovered

The miners disappeared on 17 February 2026 after a mudslide at the operation. One body was recovered last week, while authorities confirmed on Sunday, 22 March 2026, that two additional bodies had now been retrieved. Search and recovery efforts are continuing, with the remains of two miners still believed to be underground.

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Police stated that the remains of one of the miners who were trapped almost 1,000 metres below the Ekapa Mine in Kimberley, Northern Cape, were retrieved on 9 March 2026. This was after a rescue effort was mounted by the South African government and the mine. The company operating the mine has since applied for liquidation and announced the closure of operations on 25 February 2026. The incident remains under investigation.

Recovering the bodies of miners

Parliament's mineral resources committee chairperson, Mikateko Mahlaule, said mine rescue teams are making steady progress in recovering the bodies of miners trapped at a copper mine. Mahlaule said two bodies had been recovered and rescuers had located a third, which they expected to retrieve once the mud obstructing access was cleared.

He said this would bring the total number of recovered bodies to four, adding that rescue teams were on the right path based on the information gathered. He said the immediate priority was to bring all trapped miners to the surface before any discussions about possible retrenchments or the closure of the mine.

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Other mine-related stories

Gwede Mantashe believes that the five miners trapped at the Ekapa Minerals Mine in Kimberly should be presumed dead. Mantashe, the Minister of Mineral and Petroleum Resources, made the comments while responding to questions in Parliament on Tuesday, 3 March 2026. Mantashe was questioned about the mop-up and rescue operations at the mine following a mudslide at the mine.

Family members of the mineworkers trapped underground at the Ekapa Minerals Mine in Kimberley are not giving up hope. Five workers have been trapped at least 890 metres underground in Tunnel 6 after a mudslide on 17 February 2026. Rising water levels underground have continued to complicate rescue operations at the mine.

Minister Gwede Mantashe has arrived at the Ekapa Mine Joint Shaft in Kimberley as five miners remain trapped nearly a kilometre underground. Seventy-four hours have passed since tons of wet mud flooded Tunnel 6 at the Ekapa Mining operation. The company has intensified pumping and drilling efforts, but rescuers have still not made contact with the miners. Community members have begun gathering outside the mine ahead of the minister's visit.

Source: Briefly News