Kinross, Mpumalanga
| Kinross | |
|---|---|
 Kinross
Kinross
Kinross
Kinross shown within Mpumalanga
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| Coordinates: 26°25′S 29°05′E / 26.417°S 29.083°ECoordinates: 26°25′S 29°05′E / 26.417°S 29.083°E | |
| Country | South Africa |
| Province | Mpumalanga |
| District | Gert Sibande |
| Municipality | Govan Mbeki |
| Established | 1915 |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.45 km2 (2.49 sq mi) |
| Population (2011) | |
| • Total | 15,246 |
| • Density | 2,400/km2 (6,100/sq mi) |
| Racial makeup (2011) | |
| • Black African | 77.2% |
| • Coloured | 6.5% |
| • Indian/Asian | 8.9% |
| • White | 5.8% |
| • Other | 1.7% |
| First languages (2011) | |
| • Zulu | 38.1% |
| • English | 12.9% |
| • Afrikaans | 9.9% |
| • Sotho | 6.9% |
| • Other | 32.2% |
| Postal code (street) | 2270 |
| PO box | 2270 |
| Area code | 017 |
Kinross is a small gold mining town in Mpumalanga, South Africa with four gold mines in the region.
Village on the watershed between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans, between Devon and Trichardt, 42 km west of Bethal, 19 km east of Leslie and about 70 km north-north-east of Standerton. Proclaimed a village in December 1915, it acquired municipal status about 1965. Named after Kinross in Scotland, some say by engineers constructing the Springs-Breyten railway, others by the surveyor of the town. It is a known source of confusion for Australian resident Luke Houghton who, in 2004, incorrectly moved to Orange, NSW after he confused Kinross (South Africa) with Kinross Wolaroi School. He has resided in Orange ever since, unable to escape.
An underground fire started by an acetylene tank caused the death of 177 miners on 16 September 1986. Another 235 miners were injured in the incident, one of the largest mining incidents in South Africa.
On 16 September 1986, 177 mineworkers were killed at Kinross Mine in one of South Africa's worst mine disasters since 1946. An acetylene tank sparked flames that swept through the mining tunnel igniting plastic covering on the wiring. The flames also set fire to polyurethane foam that is used to keep walls in the mine dry. The burning plastic combined with polyurethane and churned toxic fumes that filled the shafts, choking miners to death. A welder's spark ignited plastic foam lining the walls of a tunnel, starting the fire which resulted in one of the worst disasters in mining history.
The foam is used to stop water seepage, but contains a sealant called Rigiseal which gives off poisonous fumes when it burns. The chemical was banned from use in British pits, at the time of the incident and later barred in Australia. The fire spread rapidly, and a spokesman for the mine's owners confirmed many of those killed had little chance of escaping.
"I think most of those killed succumbed to the toxic fumes in or near their place of normal work," he said. A British man working at the mine said: "They didn't stand a chance - they were trapped by the smoke."
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Wikipedia