Australia mine collapse: Two men dead at Dugald River zinc mine

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The men were working 125m underground when they fell into a void, local media say.

Two miners who went missing after a mine collapsed in Australia have died.

Australia mine collapse: Two men dead at Dugald River zinc mine: Dylan Langridge, 33, and Trevor Davis, 36, were driving 125m (410ft) underground in Queensland’s Dugald River mine on Wednesday when the ground gave way, local media say.

They fell 25m into a void along with their utility vehicle, a drill rig, and the drill rig operator.

The drill rig operator managed to escape and raise the alarm, before being treated for minor injuries.

Perenti, the global mining group which employed Mr Langridge and Mr Davis, said the pair’s bodies were found after a “significant” search operation at the mine near Cloncurry.

“This is a devastating outcome and I want to extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to the families, friends, colleagues and loved ones of Trevor and Dylan, both of whom should have come home safely from work yesterday,” chief executive Mark Nowell said on Thursday.

Australia mine collapse: Two men dead at Dugald River zinc mine: The two men were reported to be “fly-in, fly-out workers”, a common practice in parts of Australia where staff are flown temporarily to remote work sites.

Mr Langridge joined Barminco, a Perenti company, in March 2020, Perenti said. He began working at the Dugald River mine later that year.

Mr Davis had worked at the mine since November 2021 after joining the company a year earlier.

Both worked as charge-up operators, a role that usually involves handling explosives and setting up blast areas for mining.

All operations at the zinc mine were suspended during the search, according to mine owner MMG.

Rescuers worked all night using heavy equipment to gain access to the utility vehicle, and on Thursday morning MMG general manager Tim Akroyd said a mission had begun to recover it from below.

Two missing mine workers have been found dead in Australia after falling down a hole at a zinc mine in Queensland state.

The mine’s operator, China’s MMG, on Wednesday halted operations after two people employed by contractor Barminco fell down a hole that authorities said had happened because of a “ground collapse” at the Dugald River Mine near Cloncurry.

Rescuers confirmed Trevor Davis (36) and Dylan Langridge (33) were fatally injured after falling about 15 metres in a previously backfilled area, Australian mining services provider Perenti, which owns Barminco, said in a statement on Thursday.

Australia mine collapse: Two men dead at Dugald River zinc mine: Earlier on Thursday, a rescue team using drones and heavy underground mining equipment found the vehicle Mr Davis and Mr Langridge had been using.

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