（每日一读）2014年高考英语8月考前突破 阅读理解能力 社会生活 南非发生5.3级地震 一人死亡素材

南非发生 5.3 级地震 一人死亡An earthquake has struck South Africa, killing one person and injuring some gold miners.南非发生一场地震，造成一人死亡、一些金矿工人受伤。 The US Geological Survey said the 5.3 magnitude tremor was near Orkney, a centre of gold-mining operations. One person died after a wall in Orkney collapsed but miners who were feared trapped in some mine shafts 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 shaft infrastructure, and at those shafts where this work is complete, hoisting 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 tremors largely because of the nearby gold mines, which are some of the deepest in the world. However geologists describe this tremor as a significant event, he says. It rattled 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 Cape town of Tulbagh in 1969.