The search continues for two people missing more than 24 hours after a Queensland mine collapsed.
The men were driving 125 meters (410 feet) underground inside the Dugald River mine near Cloncurry when the ground gave way on Wednesday, local media said.
They fell 25 meters into a gap, but a third person they were working with escaped and raised the alarm.
Their vehicle has been searched using a drone, but rescue workers have found no sign of the missing persons.
The couple has not responded to attempts to contact them by radio.
The men, identified in local media reports as Dylan Langridge and Trevor Davies, are believed to be “fly-in, fly-out workers”, a practice common in parts of Australia where staff are temporarily employed. Carried to remote work sites.
MMG, the owner of the mine, said that all operations at the zinc mine have been halted as search operations intensify.
Rescuers worked through the night using heavy equipment to gain access to the vehicle, and on Thursday morning MMG general manager Tim Ackroyd said a mission had been launched to retrieve it from the bottom.
“We expect this process to take some time,” he said, adding, “Our thoughts are very strong with the families of our missing colleagues.”
Parentie CEO Mark Norwell said rescue teams were focused on resolving the “escalating” situation “as quickly and safely as possible”.
“Everyone at Perenti is feeling the impact of this incident and while we are deeply concerned for the safety of our colleagues, we are hopeful that a positive outcome can be achieved.”
