Dugald River mine: Two Queensland miners missing as new details emerge on how incident unfolded

There are desperate fears for two workers after a 30-tonne rig plummeted 25 meters into a remote Queensland mine shaft.

Workers were reportedly trapped inside a stope, a hole used to excavate mine minerals, at the Dugald River mine, some 70 kilometers from Cloncurry in the northwest of the state, after a drilling rig fell in the mine shaft on Wednesday morning.

It is understood that part of the workers’ ute was discovered in the debris at the bottom of the shaft after the vehicle partially fell into the stope during the incident. abc reports.

The workers who first discovered the UT while assisting the drill operator, who was injured but survived the incident, are believed to have attempted to communicate with the missing miners via radio.

Police and emergency services came to the scene around 1:05 p.m.

The incident is understood to have unfolded after a drill rig fell into a mine shaft (Dugald River Mine pictured)

Search and rescue teams are using drone cameras to find the two workers trapped in the hole.

MMG Limited said in a statement: “Two Barminco employees working at MMG’s Dugald River mine in Queensland were involved in an incident this morning and are currently missing.

“The site’s emergency response has been activated and is working closely with Barminco and the authorities to assist in search and rescue efforts.

Operations in the Dugald River have been halted while the search is ongoing.

‘MMG has extended all available resources and support to Barminco and the Dugald River mine.’

Barminco is a hard rock mining service owned by Perenti, a global mining group.

The two Dugald River mine workers (above) are understood to have been reported missing after a drilling rig fell into the shaft.