Two mine workers were killed in separate incidents during the first few days of the new year at Mt Britton and near Blackwater in Queensland.
On 2 January 2026, an incident occurred at Coronado Global Resources’ (ASX:CRN) Mammoth Underground Mine in which a roof had collapsed. One worker was confirmed dead on 3 January 2026, while another worker was safely recovered and suffered injuries.
Coronado Global Resources is currently providing support to the contracted coal mine operator, Mammoth Underground Mine Management, which is working with relevant authorities at site to understand the cause of the incident. Operations have been suspended at the mine.
This is the second death at a Coronado mine in the past few weeks, following a 63-year-old man being crushed by a supply tractor at the Lower War Eagle Mine in the US, as reported by the Australian Financial Review.
Another gold prospector was killed in another incident near Mt Britton at a small-scale gold mining operation, after a large boulder struck him.
The Australian Workers’ Union (AWU) Queensland and Northern Territory Assistant Secretary Mark Raguse says the loss of the workers less than an hour apart has left the state’s mining community “shocked and saddened”.
“While many people were enjoying time with their families over the holidays, two mine workers went to work and never came home,” Raguse says.
“Days like this are a brutal reminder of the risks mine workers face and why safety can never be treated as optional or secondary.”
According to SafeWork Australia, Queensland had the highest number of workplace deaths in 2024 out of all Australian states, accounting for 53 deaths out of 188.
In 2025, six out of 167 workplace deaths were related to the mining sector – a slight decrease from 2024 which recorded 11 deaths.
Write to Aaliyah Rogan at Mining.com.au
Images: Coronado Global Resources
