Cobar: two people killed in Endeavour mine explosion in far western NSW

Two people have been killed by an explosion at an underground mine in the far west of New South Wales. Police said emergency services were called to the mine on Endeavour Mine Road at Cobar, about 600km north-west of Sydney, at about 3.45am on Tuesday after being told two people had been critically injured in a workplace incident. Sign up: AU Breaking News email On arrival, according to the NSW police statement, they were told a man had been confirmed dead after the underground explosion. Two women were brought to the surface of the mine, but one later died. The second woman was airlifted to hospital suffering hearing damage and shock, police said. Emergency services remained at the scene on Tuesday morning. The NSW Resources Regulator confirmed it was investigating the fatal workplace incident and said it was inappropriate to make further comment while the investigation was ongoing. Interactive The Cobar Shire council mayor, Jarrod Marsden, said the tight-knit community had been devastated by the news. “We’re smashed, I don’t know what other word to use, to be honest,” he told Guardian Australia. “It’s still pretty raw and fresh.” The mayor said the incident affected the entire town. “These are people that worked together every day, these are the people you saw down the street, the people you see in the pub. It’s tragic. These are two families – their lives will be impacted forever,” Marsden said. He had not visited the mine site since the incident and said an investigation would “take its due course”. The NSW premier, Chris Minns, extended his condolences to the families, friends and colleagues of the workers who died. “This is a heartbreaking day for the Cobar community and will be felt across the entire mining industry,” the Labor leader said. “We understand investigations are still under way. The number one priority in any mine must be safety. Everyone who goes to work has the right to come home.” Minns said safety protocols and procedures had “greatly improved” in mining, but the two deaths were “a sobering reminder of why we need to always remain vigilant to protect workers”. The state minister for natural resources, Courtney Houssos, said she was “deeply saddened to hear about the tragic news at Cobar”. The NSW Mineworkers’ Alliance spokesperson Tony Callinan called on the mine operator and regulator to undertake an open investigation. “The alliance is in shock this morning with news of these fatalities,” he said in a statement. “We will leave no stone unturned in identifying what has occurred here. This is a tragic reminder that underground mining is a dangerous job.” Copper and gold mining are the two leading employment industries in the Cobar region. The mine is a major underground silver, zinc and lead mine, 40km north of Cobar. It was acquired by Polymetals in 2024. It is the second-largest project in the polymetallic region known as the Cobar Basin.