Twenty of 85 workers trapped at the Mimosa platinum mine in Zimbabwe have been freed, National Mine Workers Union of Zimbabwe President Shadreck Polowelo said.

“A bearing caught fire, which resulted in the workers being trapped inside the mine,” he said by phone from Zvishavane. “Rescue efforts to bring those who are trapped are still ongoing.”

Aquarius Platinum Ltd. owns Mimosa jointly with Impala Platinum Holdings Ltd. (IMP), the second-largest producer of the metal. The Mimosa operation produces about 100,000 ounces of platinum in concentrate annually and comprises about 30 percent of Aquarius’s output.

“The workers are in a safe area and we and the company owners are on top of the situation,” Mines Ministry Secretary Prince Mupazviriho said during an interview at his office today in Harare, the capital.

Aquarius retreated for an eight day, losing 2.1 percent to 83.15 pence by 11:52 a.m. in London, heading for the lowest close since May 2005.

To contact the reporter on this story: Godfrey Marawanyika in Johannesburg at gmarawanyika@bloomberg.net

To contact the editors responsible for this story: Ana Monteiro at amonteiro4@bloomberg.net; Antony Sguazzin at asguazzin@bloomberg.net