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This picture taken on November 5, 2021 shows a bucket-wheel dumping soil and sand removed from another area of the mine in Newcastle, the world's largest coal exporting port. - Australia's conservative leaders have defied calls for urgent climate action, boasting they will sell coal for as long as anyone is buying, but in the country's carbon heartland, locals are already preparing for life beyond fossil fuels. (Photo by Saeed KHAN / AFP) Image used for illustrative purpose.
Two men were found dead Thursday after plunging down a "void" in a remote Australian zinc mine, in what colleagues described as a "devastating" end to a more than 24-hour rescue effort.
The miners were in a light utility vehicle which tumbled into an ore extraction tunnel on Wednesday at the Dugald River mine in Queensland, the facility's owner said in a statement.
"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," Perenti chief executive Mark Norwell said.
Trevor Davis, 36, and Dylan Langridge, 33, were fatally injured in the incident, which happened about 125 metres (410 feet) underground.
Perenti Group, the parent company of the mine operator MMG, said the two men were "valued team members and well respected" and had fallen 15 metres (50 feet) into a below-ground "void".
The Dugald River mine employs about 500 people near the isolated town of Cloncurry in western Queensland, about 20 hours' drive inland from the state capital Brisbane.
According to MMG, which is listed on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange, the mine processes around 1.7 million tonnes of ore every year.
Mining is one of the bedrocks of Australia's economy -- the country holds almost 30 percent of the world's reserves of zinc, lithium and nickel.
Studies have found Australia's mining sector is one of the safest by international standards, but according to the government it is still the third deadliest industry in the country.
