Rush to seal 6 shafts in burning underground coal mine
Plumes of smoke continue to below behind me from the mine as authorities raced to seal at least six shafts at the burning Grosvenor coal mine in central QLD. The inferno at Queensland's largest underground coal mine near Moranbah is now in its fourth day. Methane gas ignited the underground blaze at the weekend. All workers were safely evacuated from the site, which remains closed. Minor Anglo American says positive steps have been taken overnight in the ceiling process. The company says it's also working closely with local council to keep the close knit community informed of the potential impact from smoke. The latest incident has triggered memories in the mining town of a similar methane explosion at the mine four years ago, which left five workers severely burned. Specialist crews are working around the clock and face a complex and difficult task working with an unstable, hostile mine atmosphere. Anglo says there will be a time and place to turn its attention to investigating the source of the ignition. Right now the priority is sealing the mine as the community braces for further impacts with the future of the mine up in the air.