People trapped after Ballarat goldmine collapse in Victoria

Authorities are trying to rescue trapped people beneath a rock after the goldmine collapse in Ballarat, Victoria. The Victorian County Fire Authority and Victoria Police responded to a call at 4:50 p.m. today in the afternoon.

They reported that a mine on Indicator Lane in Mount Clear, Ballarat had collapsed. It resulted in the trapping of two people. At least eight emergency vehicles responded to the incident and emergency personnel remained on the site to recover trapped people owing to Ballarat goldmine collapse.

Two people are believed to be trapped underground after a mine collapsed west of Melbourne. #9News https://t.co/yBI3mPsNfJ
— 9News Melbourne (@9NewsMelb) March 13, 2024

Victorian Premier Jacinta Allan said in a statement that she was thinking of every person and family affected by this catastrophe. Tonight will be a difficult night for them and the entire Ballarat town.

I'm thinking of every worker and every family who’s impacted by the Ballarat mine incident. Tonight will be a long night for them and for the entire community.
— Jacinta Allan (@JacintaAllanMP) March 13, 2024

Victory Minerals Pty Ltd owns the Ballarat Gold Mine, which is located near Mount Clear. Guardian Australia claims Victory Minerals declined to comment on this incident when they tried to contact it.

Victory Minerals acquired the mine network, including the mill and equipment, from Lihir Gold in March 2010. Twenty-seven miners were trapped when a mine collapsed while they were working a kilometer deep in November 2007 three years before the sale.

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The Ballarat gold mine network laid the groundwork for the development of Ballarat town, and the tunnel network runs beneath much of it. The network has been operating since the 1850s and some of the original tunnels are still in use.

In a similar incident last year, an Australian mine collapsed at Dugald River in Queensland. Two miners went missing after a zinc mine collapsed on Feb 16, 2023. Later on, authorities discovered them dead.

The dead miners were Dylan Langridge (33 years old) and Trevor Davis (36 years old). They traveled 125 meters (410 feet) below in Queensland’s Dugald River mine during the mine collapse. They fell 25 meters into a hole and died.