KwaZulu-Natal police warned the public on Friday not to play or work in abandoned mines and quarries after a girl died when a quarry wall caved in on her in Elandslaagte.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe 13-year-old was collecting coal dust, which is compacted into coal bricks and then used as a fuel source at home,\u201d Lieutenant-Colonel Vincent Mdunge said.<\/p>\n
The wall collapsed around 1pm on Saturday and the girl, Zanele Mchunu, suffered fatal injuries. Mdunge warned people these areas could be very dangerous.<\/p>\n
\u201cRemember you do not possess the specialised training of a miner and therefore you do not know whether the items you are removing will destabilise the area and cause a collapse of walls or a rockfall.<\/p>\n
\u201cThese areas could also sometimes produce dangerous gases which could be hazardous to your health or could be highly flammable,\u201d warned Mdunge. \u2013 Sapa<\/p>\n<\/p>\n