Two workers have been killed and another was injured in a horror explosion at an underground mine in outback NSW.
Emergency responders were called to the Endeavor Mine near Cobar in the state’s far west about 3.45am on Tuesday following reports of two people had been critically injured in a workplace incident.
Police arrived at the scene and were advised that a man had died in the underground blast.
Two female workers were transported to the surface but one was unable to be revived.
The second woman was airlifted to hospital suffering from hearing damage and shock.
Emergency services remain at the scene.
Police will prepare a report for the coroner and assist SafeWork NSW in its investigation.
Cobar Shire mayor Jarrod Marsden described the incident as ‘absolutely tragic’.
Two workers have been killed in an underground explosion at Endeavor Mine near Cobar
The tragedy unfolded near Cobar in far-west NSW
‘The most valuable thing in a mine are the miners, and two families won’t see their loved ones again,’ he said.
Located 40km of Cobar, Endeavor is a major underground silver, zinc, and lead mine operated by Polymetals.
The project is described on its website as the second largest mine in Australia’s richest polymetallic region known as the Cobar Basin.
The mine first began operations in the early 1980s until it was placed in ‘care and maintenance’ in 2020.
Polymetals bought the mine in 2023 with the aim of restarting mining activities this year.
Anyone with information is urged to call Crime Stoppers.
More to come.
