Missing worker found dead after roof collapse deep underground at Queensland coalmine | Queensland

Search teams have found a missing Queensland coal miner dead, a day after he was trapped by a roof collapse.

The man was at the Curragh mine in central Queensland when the collapse occurred about 3pm on Friday. There were fears that it was as much as 1 km underground.

Emergency responders found the dead worker Saturday night, according to Acting State Mines Minister Tony Perrett.

“One worker was rescued safely yesterday, while specialist teams worked throughout the night to stabilize the area and gain access to the second person,” Perrett said in a statement.

“Tragically, that worker could not be saved.”

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The Curragh coal mine is located north of Blackwater, approximately 200 km west of Rockhampton.

The field covers approximately 256 square kilometers in two separate mines and has been operating since 1983.

The Curragh has been owned by Coronado Global Resources since 2018.

Coronado’s general manager, Douglas Thompson, said the company was deeply saddened by the death and offered its deepest condolences to the worker’s family and colleagues.

It said it is providing support to contract mine operator Mammoth Underground Mine Management, which is working with authorities to determine the cause of the collapse.

A Coronado spokesman had previously said all underground mining operations were suspended.

In a separate incident about 300km north of the Curragh, a gold prospector working on a private mining site was killed after being struck by falling rocks.

The 58-year-old man was working alone with an excavator on a property in Mount Britton when a rock face partially collapsed on Friday afternoon.

The man died from injuries caused by a falling rock, police said Saturday.

Perrett said both incidents were “tragic reminders of the risks faced by workers in our resources sector”.

“Every worker deserves to return home safely, and I expect full and comprehensive investigations into both incidents to ensure answers are provided and lessons are learned.”