The Henty gold mine emergency response team in Tasmania has retrieved the body of a Pybar Mining Services worker who has been missing since last month.
The worker was the only person unaccounted for after a piece of earth collapsed at the Diversified Minerals-operated mine.
The recovery followed an unsuccessful first attempt in late January, involving a thermal imaging drone and a robotic camera.
Pybar chief executive Brendan Rouse expressed his relief that the ERT had recovered the worker’s body and praised all involved for their hard work.
“On behalf of all at Pybar, I express my deepest sympathies to (his) family and gratitude to all on site for their efforts in this recovery,” Rouse said.
“This has been a very complex operation and the recovery and site teams have experienced intense physical and mental strain over the past weeks. It is an incredibly sad time for all people at the mine and in the community.”
Tasmania Police also offered its sympathies to the victim’s family, friends and colleagues.
“The incident will be investigated and a report prepared for the coroner,” Tasmania Police stated in a media release.
Diversified Minerals and Pybar will continue to provide counselling to employees following this incident.