Family, friends and the wider community are mourning the loss of two young miners who fell to their deaths at the Dugald River mine near Cloncurry in north-west Queensland on Wednesday.
As investigations into the tragedy commence, loved ones took to social media to share tributes to Bundaberg man Dylan Langridge, 33, and Pimpama man Trevor Davis, 36 whose utility vehicle plummeted into a stope void on Wednesday morning.
The mother of Mr Langridge's two young children Kelly Mcburnie posted a tribute to the 33-year-old on Facebook.
"Nothing will ever stop me caring for you … the kids need their dad," she said.
Meanwhile, Mount Isa police inspector Erin Shawcross, whose team was leading the initial investigations, said his heart went out to the workers who had "dug up their mates".
"I take my hat off to … the mine employees who were emotionally triggered but knew there was a job to be done and worked really hard in the trying circumstances," he said.
The crews who arrived first on the scene would have been the miners' colleagues, Australian Workers' Union Queensland branch secretary Stacey Schinnerl said.
"When these things occur at remote mine sites, the first response teams are actually the workers on site," she said.
"The emergency response crew is formed from the workforce — these guys volunteer and put their own lives at risk to save the lives of their co-workers."
What happens next?
Mr Langridge and Mr Davis were operating a light utility vehicle near a stope – a large space where ore is extracted – when the ground gave way, causing the men to fall into a void on Wednesday morning.
Their bodies were retrieved Thursday afternoon by emergency crews from mine owner MMG Limited and employment contractor Perenti.
Queensland Police are leading the initial investigation and have assumed control of the site.
Police say their investigation will wind up today and then the independent regulator of mining worker safety, Resources Safety & Health Queensland (RSQH) will take over.
Inspector Shawcross said the bodies of the men had been transferred off the mine site and would be taken to Brisbane or Townsville for coronary proceedings before being released to the families.
He said about 10 officers from the Mount Isa, Brisbane and Townsville criminal investigations, forensic crash and scenes of crime departments had been involved since the accident on Wednesday.
"We have to look at the situation leading up to the tragic incident and we will be preparing a report for the coroner before handing over to the RSHQ which will investigate the cause of the workplace incident," Inspector Shawcross said.
Multiple investigations
In a statement on Thursday, RSHQ said its mining inspectors had been involved in the emergency response and it would begin its investigation to "understand how this incident occurred."
University of Queensland mining expert David Cliff said the RSHQ investigation would most likely be one of several carried out over the course of months.
"Because there have been fatalities, there will be a coroner's investigation as well," he said.
"I'd imagine there might even be a higher-level commission inquiry, so there are a number of inquiries and investigations with a potential prosecution."
Professor Cliff said the design of the area that gave way would be the central point of the investigations, along with the safety processes that were in place.
"The technical details of the mining process will be looked at," he said.
"Particularly the backfilling process involved in stope mining, which is at play here — whether it was adequately designed.
"But also they will look at the higher level of systems that sit behind the management of technical risks and the way the mine measures safety and health."
Workers the priority
Ms Schinnerl said the AWU would arrive at Dugald River on Friday and would initially focus on the welfare of workers who had been involved in the retrieval.
"We've had briefings from the Minister for Resources and an informal briefing from the inspectorate, and we are travelling to Cloncurry for a full briefing from the mine," she said.
"At the end of the day, the specifics of what occurred will come out."
Professor Cliff said there should "not be any acceptance of a certain level of casualties".
"I know some people say that — I don't believe that," he said.
"Mining is an industry which historically has high risks, but it also is an industry Australia has invested heavily in with technology and systems approach and risk management.
"We need to improve the system so we do get to zero fatalities."
'Lasting impact'
Mr Langridge joined Barminco in March 2020 as a truck operator at Savannah before joining the service crew at Dugald River later that year.
He continued to progress his career at Dugald River and in October 2021 took up the role of charge up operator.
Mr Davis joined Barminco in August 2020 as a shotcrete operator at Rosemont, before transferring to Dugald River as a charge up operator in November 2021.
Perenti managing director and chief executive Mark Norwell said both were valued team members and well respected across both sites.
"Our immediate and ongoing focus is on providing support to the families, friends and colleagues of Trevor and Dylan," he said.
"Barminco has been operating at MMG's Dugald River mine since early 2012 with members of our workforce residing in the area.
"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."
Dugald River general manager Tim Akroyd said everyone at the site was devastated by the tragic event.
"Our hearts and thoughts are with the family and friends at this time and we will provide all support that we can," he said.
"I'd like to sincerely thank everyone involved in the emergency response to this incident and the support we have received from community and authorities."
'Tremendous loss'
Cloncurry Shire Council Mayor Greg Campbell said the community wanted to express its "deepest condolences to the families of Dylan and Trevor".
"Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this tragic time," he said.
"The flags at the community precinct will fly at half mast in respect of Dylan and Trevor."
Queensland Resources Council chief executive Ian Macfarlane said it was a sad day for all involved.
"A tragedy like this affects a wide circle of people, but at the heart of it are two families who are dealing with a tremendous loss," he said.
"Our hearts go out to them."
Traeger MP Rob Katter said the state's north-west was grieving the loss of the fly-in, fly-out workers.
"Regardless of where they come from, they died in our country — and for a tight knit community like Cloncurry, this has a deep impact," he said.
"We should all consider the family, friends and workmates of these two blokes and keep them in our prayers."
Mining operations remain suspended and Queensland Resources Minister Scott Stewart says they will not recommence until investigators deem the site safe.
"In Queensland, [the mining industry] is still a very close-knit family and this will affect a lot of people," he said.
"We will continue, as a government, to do everything we can [to keep] our workers are safe … and [ensure they] go home safely to their family and friends at the end of each shift or the end of each roster."
Mr Stewart said the Dugald River mine has had 27 visits for audits and safety checks in the last two years.
"This is about making sure that workers, that administration, that everyone on those particular sites are 100 per cent certain of their roles and their responsibilities, but also have the courage and the ability to report any concerns that they have around safety," he said.
