Riversdale stops SAfrica anthracite ops after blast

JOHANNESBURG, Oct 29 (Reuters) - Riversdale Mining Ltd. suspended all of the operations at its Zululand Anthracite Colliery in South Africa after an underground methane explosion at the mine, a senior official said on Thursday.

The colliery's Chief Operating Officer, Andries Engelbrecht, said he hoped to reopen the non-affected shafts later on Thursday and the rest of the mine by Wednesday next week.

"All the mining operations have been suspended ... I'm hoping that the unaffected areas will be able to continue today, but it hasn't been confirmed yet," he told Reuters. (Reporting by Agnieszka Flak)