A small outback town has been devastated by a tragic underground mine explosion that left a man and a young woman dead.
Emergency services were called to the mine on Endeavour Mine Road at Cobar, about 450km east of Broken Hill, about 3.45am on Tuesday.
Police were immediately told one man had been confirmed dead after the underground explosion.
Two women were then brought to the surface, but one of them died shortly after.
The dead have not yet been formally identified, but they are believed to be a woman in her 20s and a man in his 60s, who had both been living in Cobar.
Emergency services were called to the mine on Endeavour Mine Road at Cobar, western NSW, early on Tuesday. Source: SBS News
Outback town in shock
Cobar Shire mayor Jarrod Marsden said the community was in "complete and utter shock".
"It's devastating to the community. In a small community like Cobar, these are the people you see down the street, these are the people you see at the pub, these are the people that you see on a regular basis," he told SBS News.
"It's two families this morning that woke up to the news that their families won’t be home from nightshift. Their lives will never be the same again."
Marsden said the mines had "strong support systems" available for support and the council would "provide whatever the communities need".
The mine was acquired by Polymetals in 2023 and restarted mining activities earlier this year. Source: Supplied / Polymetals Resources
'Heartbreaking day'
SafeWork NSW will lead an investigation into the incident, while the NSW Resources Regulator confirmed it will also investigate. Police will prepare a report for the coroner.
ASX-listed Polymetals, which acquired the mine in 2023, requested that trading in its shares be paused for two days after a "serious safety incident", but it did not otherwise comment on the deaths.
NSW Premier Chris Minns extended his condolences to the family, 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," Minns said in a statement.
"We understand investigations are still underway. The number one priority in any mine must be safety. Everyone who goes to work has the right to come home.
"While safety protocols and procedures have greatly improved in mining, these deaths are a sobering reminder of why we need to always remain vigilant to protect workers."
NSW Mine Workers' Alliance spokesperson Tony Callinan called for an open and transparent investigation into how the accident happened.
"We will leave no stone unturned in identifying what has occurred here," he said.
"This is a tragic reminder that underground mining is a dangerous job … events like these send shockwaves through our entire mining industry."
NSW Minerals Council chief Stephen Galilee agreed the tragedy highlighted that safety must always be the number-one priority on sites.
"The thoughts of tens of thousands of miners across NSW will today be with the families and colleagues of the deceased and injured, and also with the residents of the mining community of Cobar at this extremely difficult time," he said.
Copper and gold mining are the two leading employment industries in the region.
The mine is a major underground silver, zinc and lead mine, 40km north of Cobar.
It's the second-largest project in the polymetallic region known as the Cobar Basin.
