Two people have been killed by an explosion at an underground mine in the far west of New South Wales.
Police said emergency services were called to the mine on Endeavour Mine Road at Cobar, about 450km east of Broken Hill, at about 3.45am on Wednesday after being told two people had been critically injured in a workplace incident.
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On arrival, according to the NSW police statement, they were told a man had been confirmed dead after the underground explosion. Two women were brought to the surface of the mine, but one later died.
The second woman was airlifted to hospital suffering hearing damage and shock, police said. Emergency services remained at the scene on Wednesday morning.
Police were to assist a SafeWork NSW investigation into the incident.
The NSW premier, Chris Minns, extended his condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the workers who died.
“This is a heartbreaking day for the Cobar community and will be felt across the entire mining industry,” the Labor leader said.
“We understand investigations are still under way. The number one priority in any mine must be safety. Everyone who goes to work has the right to come home.”
Minns said safety protocols and procedures had “greatly improved” in mining, but the two deaths were “a sobering reminder of why we need to always remain vigilant to protect workers”.
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The state minister for natural resources, Courtney Houssos, said she was “deeply saddened to hear about the tragic news at Cobar”.
Copper and gold mining are the two leading employment industries in the Cobar region.
The mine is a major underground silver, zinc and lead mine, 40km north of Cobar. It was acquired by Polymetals in 2024. It is the second-largest project in the polymetallic region known as the Cobar Basin.