A gold mine worker is dead after becoming trapped 500m underground by rockfall at Australia's Ballarat Mine.
Two workers were pinned down by the rockfall, making it impossible to move.
25 other men were able to reach a "safety pod" and escaped, some with serious injuries, Ballarat Gold Mine owners Victory Minerals said.
Overnight, one of the trapped men was saved and rushed to hospital with life threatening injuries to his lower body.
Despite efforts to rescue the second worker, he had since died, local media reported.
"We were actually informed that one of their miners was killed at work," Australian Workers Union Victoria state secretary Ronnie Hayden told Sunrise. "So, it's no longer a rescue."
Mining operations at Ballarat, about 115km west of Melbourne, were only taken over by Victory Minerals in December.
"We bring significant experience and expertise to the mine," the company said in a statement, "We are a safety-first mine operator and respect the work that underground miners perform every day."
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