One man has been freed and another remains trapped after a mine collapse on the outskirts of Ballarat in Victoria’s goldfields.
The pair were pinned by fallen rocks at the Mount Clear mine on Wednesday afternoon.
A further 25 workers have been brought to the surface after being stranded underground in a safety pod.
Police and paramedics managed to stabilise and extract one of the men.
He was treated for lower body injuries and airlifted to hospital in a serious condition.
Emergency crews were working to free the second person, as dozens of other workers took refuge in a safety pod.
“Work is under way to bring the remaining 25 miners to the surface,” Victoria police said in a statement.
The incident occurred about 3km underground from the entrance to the mine.
Workplace officers have been sent to investigate.
The Victorian Country Fire Authority and Victoria police responded to a call at 4.50pm on Wednesday afternoon with reports that a mine on Indicator Lane in Mount Clear, Ballarat, had collapsed, trapping two people underground.
At least eight emergency vehicles responded to the incident, and emergency services were at the scene.
The Victorian premier, Jacinta Allan, said in a statement on Wednesday night: “I’m thinking of every worker and every family who is impacted by this event. Tonight will be a long night for them and for the entire Ballarat community.”
The mine at Mount Clear is Ballarat Gold Mine, owned by Victory Minerals. Victory declined to comment on the matter when contacted by Guardian Australia.
Victory Minerals bought the mine network, including the mill and equipment, from Lihir Gold in March 2010.
In November 2007, three years prior to that sale, 27 miners were trapped when a cave-in occurred while they were working a kilometre underground.
The Ballarat goldmine network was foundational to the city’s establishment and the tunnel network runs under a large part of the city.
The network has been operational since the 1850s, with some of those original shafts still used.
