Explosion 'part of mining operation'

An explosion which could be heard within the grounds of Soccer City this afternoon was caused by a man-made blast at a nearby mine, a spokesman for the World Cup's local organising committee said today. Journalists in the media centre at Soccer City...

An explosion which could be heard within the grounds of Soccer City this afternoon was caused by a man-made blast at a nearby mine, a spokesman for the World Cup's local organising committee said today.

Journalists in the media centre at Soccer City heard the blast, but LOC communications chief Rich Mkhondo insisted there was nothing to be concerned about.

He told Press Association Sport: "This explosion was just part of a normal mining operation. We have checked with the police and they said it was completely normal."

Mkhondo added that there were a number of mines within a few kilometres of the stadium.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.