Fatal underground collapse at Ballarat gold mine: Everything you need to know

WHAT HAS HAPPENED?

• An underground collapse at the Ballarat Gold Mine at Mount Clear, northwest of Melbourne, left two men pinned beneath fallen rocks on the afternoon of Wednesday, March 13
• Twenty-nine miners involved in the incident took refuge in a safety pod and were later brought to the surface
• One of the pinned miners, a 21-year-old man from Ballarat, was stabilised and extracted from the mine before he was flown to the Alfred Hospital with lower-body injuries
• The 21-year-old remained in a critical condition at the hospital as of March 14
• A 37-year-old miner from Bruthen in East Gippsland died after the collapse and his body was recovered about 5.15am on March 14
• The Australian Workers’ Union claimed the pair was doing a manual type of mining called “air legging” and working on unsupported ground when the ground gave way
• The union said the type of air legging should not have been used and accused the mine’s management of being at fault
• WorkSafe is investigating the incident
• The union wants WorkSafe to consider Victoria’s workplace manslaughter laws as it conducts its investigation

WHERE DID THE INCIDENT HAPPEN?

• The rockfall happened about 3km underground from the Ballarat Gold Mine’s entrance, Victoria Police say
• The gold mine is owned by Victory Minerals, which took control of the operation in December 2023

HOW HAVE PEOPLE REACTED?

• Victory Minerals - “We bring significant experience and expertise to the mine. We are a safety first mine operator and respect the work that underground miners perform every day”
• The Australian Workers’ Union Victoria secretary Ronnie Hayden - “It’s devastating because we’ve lost another worker and no worker should be injured or die at work. It’s even more devastating because it should have been avoided”
• Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan - “The gold mining industry is a big part of Ballarat’s history and past ... and economy and many people will know of the miners”