10 chrome mine workers shot and wounded in S.Africa

Ten striking chrome miners were shot and wounded with rubber bullets, in dawn clashes with mine security on Tuesday, South African police said.

Some 500 miners at a small chrome mine in the restive Rustenburg mining region northwest of the country, staged a picket around 5:00am (0300 GMT).

Security guards used rubber bullets to try to disperse strikers at the mine, which is owned by the Germany-based chemical group Lanxess.

“Ten of them were injured and taken to the mine hospital,” regional police spokesman Thulani Ngubane told AFP.

Police have now moved into the mine and the situation is under control, he said.

“The current information we have is that rubber bullets were used, but our investigations are ongoing,” said Ngubane.