Racing against time to rescue three trapped miners in Lily Mine, South Africa

South Africa’s mining union president, Joseph Mathunjwa ,has warned that time is running out to save three mine workers trapped still trapped at the Lily Mine in Barberton, Mpumalanga.

Two women, Yvonne Mnisi and Pretty Mabuza, and one man, Solomon Nyarenda, remain trapped in a metal container underground.

SA Mine Collapse: Three people still missing, 76 rescued https://t.co/K7Wn1kIzFR via YouTube

— Karlene Mclean (ReduceBellyFat1) February 6, 2016

According to reports, the three were in the lamp room, which was housed in the container, when a building collapsed into the mine, burying them under tonnes of rubble.

“The longer they remain trapped the slimmer the chances of them being found alive,” the president of the Association of Mineworkers and Construction Union (AMCU), Joseph Mathunjwa said in a statement.

Hopes rose on Monday when it was revealed that tapping had been heard from where the missing miners are believed to be trapped, but no audio signals have been received in the past 20 hours from the mineworkers.

The rescue operations have been ongoing for the last 6 days.

It is believed that more than 70 miners managed to escape using an emergency exit when the mine collapsed.