Two dead after underground explosion near Cobar in Western NSW

ABC NEWS (Australia)

Two people have been killed in an explosion at an underground mine in far western New South Wales. Operations at the mine in Cobar have been suspended while the community deals with the tragedy.

Transcript

00:00Just before 4 in the morning, Cobar's Endeavour mine was rocked by a huge blast.

00:07We've had two people tragically lose their lives while at work.

00:11A man in his 60s was killed underground, while a woman in her 20s died after being brought to the surface.

00:18Another young woman has been taken to hospital for shock and hearing damage.

00:23This is tragic. It's tragic for the families and our employees in the Cobar community.

00:30Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the victims and the injured.

00:35Yeah, we're in shock I guess. It's all very new and very raw. I guess the town's sort of gone a little bit hushed.

00:42Operations at this silver, zinc and lead mine have been suspended until further notice,

00:47while the resources regulator has launched an investigation.

00:51There's obviously been a catastrophic failure of a safety system at the mine.

00:56In this day and age, that type of accident just should not have happened.

01:00It's obviously devastating for the families, for the workmates.

01:06With a population of around 4,000, most people in Cobar have a connection to the mine.

01:12So those ripple effects will be felt far and wide for quite a while.

01:16A town like Cobar, you know, small, tight-knit town, it's all about coming together and supporting one another.

01:22The mining operator has set up counselling services in town to help everyone here deal with this tragedy.

01:29THE WORLD

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