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Fatality rocks Grasstree

ONE of Anglo American’s most improved coal mines – Grasstree in Queensland – has been shocked by the sudden death of one of its employees underground yesterday.

Lou Caruana
Fatality rocks Grasstree

Attempts to revive the mine worker underground failed after he was found collapsed.

He was transported to the surface but emergency personnel could not revive him and he was pronounced dead and the Queensland Police informed.

The company said in a statement: “Anglo American is working with the Mines Inspectorate and Queensland Police to conduct a thorough investigation into the fatality”

Coming on the heels of the tragic wall collapse at Yancoal’s Austar colliery last month in which two mine workers died, the Grasstree fatality means 2014 is shaping up as a horror year for the Australian underground coal industry.

The death is also a blow for Anglo American, which enjoyed a turnaround in its productivity levels being led by the underground Capcoal operation at Grasstree.

Improved longwall cutting times at Capcoal underground and Moranbah North mines have helped the company increase export metallurgical coal production by 31% in the March quarter.

The company’s met coal production for the quarter came to 6.1 million tonnes -- with record production from its underground operations.

Capcoal underground operations increased longwall cutting hours by 63%.

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