Striking lonmin mine workers shoot at in South Africa

South African police fire on striking miners
Several people injured and killed

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Johannesburg (DAPD). The South African police have fired on a group of striking workers at a platinum mine, injuring many people, perhaps even killed. The private television station e.tv on Thursday showed images of bloody, motionless bodies. Mokwena Barnard, vice president of mine operator Lonmin said simply: "It is to be a police operation."



Neither police nor emergency services would comment on the incident first. It is not clear how many people died in the incident at the mine 70 kilometers northwest of Marikana Johannesberg damage.

There were on 10 3,000 workers go on strike august started. Killed since Sunday in clashes between striking workers and security forces for at least nine people. Lonmine, the world's third largest platinum producer ranks, as the strike illegal.

Deadly struggle between two unions
   
In battles between rival unions in a South African mine at least nine people have been killed.

The police responded with a major operation. The police chief of the country, Riah Phiyega did that on Monday night spent on the site west of the capital Pretoria to negotiate with the operators of the mine, said a police spokesman. In addition, heavily armed police and helicopters were deployed.

Owner of the mine, the company Lonmin, the third largest platinum producer in the world market. Since the weekend fighting in the mine belonging to a national trade union and limited to the operating organization. At the weekend, during the clashes, in which it was apparently different views on a strike, killing four people. Killed on Monday police shot and killed three workers in addition, two policemen were. On Monday afternoon was calm.