Two Australian miners who vanished after a mine collapsed have now been found dead.
The ground gave way on Wednesday as Dylan Langridge and Trevor Davis were driving 125 meters (410 feet) underground inside the Dugald River mine in Queensland, according to local media.
They, their utility vehicle, a drill rig, and the drill rig operator fell 25 meters into an empty space.
The drill rig operator was injured but was able to flee and call for help before receiving medical attention.
The two men's bodies were discovered following a "significant" search operation at the mine near Cloncurry, according to Perenti, the international mining company that employed Mr. Langridge and Mr. Davis.
CEO Mark Nowell said on Thursday, "This is a devastating outcome, and 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.".
According to reports, the two men were "fly-in, fly-out workers," which is a common practice in some parts of Australia where staff is flown temporarily to remote work sites.
Perenti announced that Mr. Langridge, 33, joined Barminco in March 2020. Later that year, he started working at the mine on the Dugald River.
After joining the company a year earlier, Mr. Davis, 36, had been employed at the mine since November 2021. According to the company, both were charge-up operators.
According to mine owner MMG, all operations at the zinc mine were halted throughout the search.
On Thursday morning, MMG General Manager Tim Akroyd announced that a mission to recover the utility vehicle from below had started after rescuers spent the entire night using heavy equipment to gain access to it.
