Australian Mine Safety Journal is digital publication on mining industry

A rescued survivor has told authorities that there are 17 people trapped inside a flooded mine in the Indian region of Meghalaya .   According to available reports the mine was flooded last Friday. The survivor told Indian press that “There were 22 people in all. Five of us were on the ground while 17 others were busy cutting coal,” said Sayeb Ali, 21, from Panbari village in the Chirang district of Assam. ‘Ground’ refers to the landing area inside the mine. “There are three others from my village alone, who are still trapped,” he said. “I was about five feet away from the ground that morning and on my way up, when I suddenly felt a lot of air and then saw water,” Ali said. “I caught on to the wire and managed to climb upwards till the people outside sent in a carriage,” he recalled. “I was all drenched,” he said. “The water helped to push me out,” he claimed, adding that “four others on the ground” were also rescued. “They are in Meghalaya,” he said. Ali had...

Peabody have provided an update overnight on the previously reported North Goonyella mine fire and have advised that the Queensland Mines Rescue GAG is now being returned offsite. Peabody says that activities at the North Goonyella mine site remain focused on assessment of underground conditions and advanced planning for re-ventilation ahead of potential re-entry to the mine when safe and appropriate to do so. The mine is still maintaining exclusion zones with underground access prohibited and limited access to surface areas of the mine and has been undertaking a range of surface drilling activities  to establish additional monitoring boreholes. The company says that drilling is near completion. Water has continued to plague the mine with a accumulation in a number of areas. Peabody say that “Pumping activities are advancing in response to ongoing accumulation of water in parts of the mine.” The update highlights that the use of cameras to assess undergr...

A US based mines rescue team has completed a search today of a sealed abandoned mine for a missing person. The mine was reportedly last entered in 1998. According to reports, the mine, in Boone County West Virginia, was permanently sealed off until two men broke through a concrete barrier at the portal. The mine was apparently signposted with no trespassing signs. The men had reportedly entered the mine to steal copper cables (possibly for scrap resale). Police said in a statement “One man came out from the mine but the other went missing” The Director of the West Virginia Office of Miner’s Health, Safety and Training said this morning that that they led a joint effort with Blackhawk Mining to enter the mine and start the exploration process underground for the missing man. A team of three rescuers, comprised of two members from MHST and one from Blackhawk Mining, equipped with breathing apparatus and gas detectors. An abandoned mine can pos...

OPINION: There’s an old saying “What a tangled web we weave, when we practice to deceive.” That saying might just apply to one of the world’s largest coal miners who, in cahoots with the Queensland Government, may have sought to cover up highly market sensitive information on the North Goonyella Mine Fire . This week Peabody Energy have been accused of one of the hugest porkies in relation to the North Goonyella Mine Fire. On Tuesday, Mathew Stevens from the Australian Financial Review (AFR) put a huge sword through the belly of Peabody Energy in his feature article ” Peabody admits that smoke really did mean fire.” Mathew highlighted that Peabody finally went to market three days after pictures had been posted publicly of black smoke billowing from the North Goonyella mine. This resulted in a massive drop in the Peabody Energy share price. Queensland Government Cover Up So you say, what about the Queensland Government’s role in the debacle? Well they too didn’t...