A worker has died and another has been seriously injured after a vehicle was struck by a mining truck at a central Queensland coal mine.
Emergency crews were rushed to BMA’s Peak Downs mine near Moranbah shortly before 5am following the collision.
One man was trapped inside the vehicle and died at the scene.
A second worker was taken to Moranbah Hospital in a potentially life-threatening condition with chest pain and leg injuries.
Resources Health and Safety Queensland (RHSQ) has deployed investigators and coal inspectors to the site as inquiries into the incident continue.
RHSQ chief executive Claire Cooper said the organisation was working alongside Queensland Police and the Queensland Ambulance Service.
BMA confirmed operations at the mine had been suspended following the incident.
The Mining and Energy Union said its industry safety and health representatives were assisting authorities and supporting workers affected by the incident.
“The relevant authorities and the union’s industry safety and health representatives are responding to the incident and providing support while investigations continue,” a union spokesperson told the ABC.
“Our priority is supporting workers while the full circumstances of the incident are still being established.”
Queensland Police’s Forensic Crash Unit will also investigate the circumstances surrounding the collision.
Peak Downs is an open-pit coal mine located about 31km south-east of Moranbah in Queensland’s Bowen Basin.
The site has operated since 1972 and is owned by BMA, a 50:50 joint venture between BHP and Mitsubishi Development.