Two miners have been found dead after their utility vehicle plummeted down an 82ft hole while deep underground.
Dylan Langridge, 33, and Trevor Davis, 36, were about 125 metres (407ft) underground when they fell into the void at the Dugald River zinc mine near Cloncurry, Queensland in Australia on Wednesday.
It is thought the ground suddenly gave way underneath them, creating a large hole that swallowed the vehicle, a drill rig, and the drill rig operator, who was rescued the same day with only minor injuries.
A search and rescue effort conducted overnight on Wednesday was able to successfully find and extract the vehicle after cutting through heavy rocks, but the pair were found to have suffered "fatal injuries", according to mine operators MMG.
Both men were employees of Barminco, a company that provides underground mining services to site owners.
Mark Norwell, chief executive of parent company Parenti, released a statement in the aftermath offering his sympathies to their families
It read: "I want to extend my deepest sympathies and condolences to the families, friends, colleagues, and loved ones of Trevor and Dylan, both of whom should have come home safely from work yesterday.
“This tragic incident is devastating and will have a lasting impact on not only the families and friends of Trevor and Dylan but also on the workforce of Dugald River, the Cloncurry and Mount Isa communities, and the entire Perenti workforce.”
Queensland Resources Minister Scott Stewart described the deaths as unacceptable and an "absolute tragedy", telling local media: “It should never have happened. The loss of a life in any workplace at any time is not acceptable."
"Families should be able to expect that when their loved ones depart for work that they return safely. Investigators from Resources Safety and Health Queensland are already on site."
He added that he now expected a "thorough investigation into how this happened” to follow.
