13 Shot, Hacked in South Africa Mine

Security guards fire rubber bullets amid union-related fight
By Matt Cantor,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 18, 2013 11:49 AM CST
13 Shot, Hacked in South Africa Mine
A striking miner shouts at a friend at his home in an informal settlement near a mine near Rustenburg, South Africa, on Wednesday, Nov. 14, 2012.   (AP Photo/Jon Gambrell)

A labor dispute at a South African mine saw at least 13 workers and security guards shot with rubber bullets or hacked with machetes, according to local reports. Security guards opened fire at the Anglo American Platinum mine, as union factions squared off, Reuters reports. There were no fatalities, though a police spokesman says members of one union "survived by running for their lives." The scuffle follows the company's announcement of job cuts last month. (More South Africa stories.)

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