The US Geological Survey said the 5.3 magnitude tremor² was near Orkney, a centre of gold-mining operations.

 

One person died after a wall in Orkney collapsed³ but miners who were feared trapped in some mine shafts⁵ have been brought to the surface.

 

The earthquake was felt in neighbouring Botswana and Mozambique.

 

AngloGold Ashanti said 17 of its employees were injured at two of its mines in North West province following the earthquake, which hit at a depth of roughly 8km.

 

Power, which was temporarily interrupted, had been mostly restored and engineers had begun clearing shafts, company spokesman Chris Nthite in a statement.

 

"Our priority is the safe passage of our employees from underground. Engineers are inspecting shaft⁴ infrastructure⁶, and at those shafts where this work is complete, hoisting⁷ of people to surface has already begun."

 

Meanwhile, emergency medical service ER24 said miners who were believed to have been trapped are safe.

 

"The miners working in various mines have been brought out," their spokeswoman Luyanda Majija said.

 

The BBC's Milton Nkosi in Johannesburg says the area around the city has a history of mild tremors⁸ largely because of the nearby gold mines, which are some of the deepest in the world.

 

However geologists⁹ describe this tremor as a significant event, he says.

 

It rattled¹⁰ windows in high rise buildings in Johannesburg.

 

Our reporter says South Africa's largest earthquake to date was recorded with a magnitude of 6.3 in the Western Cape¹¹ town of Tulbagh in 1969.

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