Two miners who fell down a void at the Dugald River mine in north-west Queensland have been identified as Dylan Langridge and Trevor Davis.
Mr Langridge and Mr Davis remain unaccounted for after the utility vehicle they were operating plummeted 25 metres down a void in a stope at the site, 70 kilometres north-west of Cloncurry.
The accident happened at 8:45am on Wednesday, 125 metres below the surface at the MMG Limited site.
The two men were operating the light utility vehicle near a stope – a large, cavernous space where ore is extracted – when the ground gave way, causing the men to plummet into the void.
In an update this morning, MMG Limited general manager Tim Akroyd said data captured from drone footage had enabled the rescue team to access the vehicle from below.
He said the incident was "terrible, tragic" and it was a "deeply distressing time for the entire Dugald River team".
Crews reached the site of the fallen utility this afternoon and are removing rubble from around the vehicle using machinery.
A drilling rig behind the utility also fell into the void, but the operator was able to escape and was later rescued.
The ABC understands the operator is in a stable condition.
Community in distress
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese this afternoon said his thoughts were with the miners' families.
"These situations are extremely difficult, especially for a community like Cloncurry. I know how close Cloncurry is," he told ABC Local Radio.
Cloncurry Shire Council Mayor Greg Campbell said this morning he believed the miners were fly-in, fly-out workers.
Mr Campbell said the mine rescue crew was well-equipped and the council had not been called on to assist.
"The mine rescue teams are highly trained and emergency services are there to support them, so that leaves us to just hope and pray for the safe rescue for these people," he said.
Mr Campbell said there was a lot of risk associated with the rescue and he did not want to see more injuries or incidents.
"It just shows the level of concern and anxiety in the community because everyone knows somebody that works at a mine," he said.
"Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of those two guys and the mine workers and rescue teams that ... are going to put their lives on the line to get to them as quickly as they can.
"It just reiterates that mining is still a dangerous profession, even if there are so many layers of safety."
Zoe Searle, who has been living in Cloncurry for eight years, said the community was holding out hope men would be found.
"It's very traumatic," she said.
"We've been very blessed over the years to not have any traumatic disasters like this in our mining industries out here.
"I don't know if I would be able to cope if it was someone I was close to.
"I know a lot of people out here who are miners are thanking their lucky stars their loved one came home."
Dornie Coffison, 80, was born and raised in Cloncurry and has family members who work at the Dugald River mine.
"It makes you feel sad when you've got two family members working out there and I'm just so glad they're safe," she said.
"A lot of these people that work in the mines are fly-in, fly-out, but news like this still shakes the town."
Ms Coffison said she had not heard of anything like this happening before.
"I'm worried about the poor blokes," she said.
"It's very sad and I'm hoping everyone is going to be alright."
'Worst nightmare'
State Member for Traeger Robbie Katter said there was a lot of anxiety in the community following the incident.
"This kind of event is obviously the worst nightmare of any mining group," he said.
"We know emergency services are on the ground and we are praying for a good outcome."
Mr Katter said it was too early to speculate on how the incident happened.
"Now's not a time to reflect too much on that, it's [time] to focus on supporting the ... community, family and friends of those workers," he said.
