Anglo stops operations at Moranbah mine after evacuation

Operations at a Moranbah mine have been stopped after an underground incident triggered workers to evacuate the site.

Operations at a Moranbah mine have been stopped after an underground incident triggered workers to evacuate the site.

Anglo American management at Moranbah North withdrew workers overnight Saturday "following a change in underground conditions", a company spokeswoman said.

"We withdrew our people as a safety precaution in accordance with our procedures," she said.

Operations were stopped and were yet to resume late Sunday as Anglo American works to understand the nature of the incident in greater detail.

It is understood that will include collecting and analysing gas monitoring data and the mines inspectorate has been notified.

"We are currently taking steps to address the incident, in liaison with the regulator, prior to finalising a further risk assessment with a cross section of the workforce before resuming operations," the Anglo spokeswoman said.

 

The Grosvenor mine conveyor. Picture: Anglo American

"The safety of our workforce remains our priority and we are keeping them closely informed as we work through these technical issues."

No injuries were reported as a result of the incident which occurred overnight Saturday.

Underground mining at Moranbah North started in 1998 and the site currently operates one underground longwall and two development units.

The mine produces five to six million tonnes of hard coking coal per annum.

It is located 16km north of Moranbah.

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