Two people have died and a third has been injured following an explosion at a mine in New South Wales on Tuesday 28 October 2025. The incident happened at the Endeavor Mine near Cobar, about 700 km to the northwest of Sydney, at about 3.45 am local time. A man in his sixties died in the incident, with two women in their twenties brought to the surface with injuries, one of whom subsequently died, with the other described as being in a stable condition in hospital.
Explosions in mines are not uncommon, but these are most commonly associated with coal mines. Coal is formed when buried organic material, principally wood, in heated and pressurised, forcing off hydrogen and oxygen (i.e. water) and leaving more-or-less pure carbon. Methane is formed by the decay of organic material within the coal. There is typically little pore-space within coal, but the methane can be trapped in a liquid form under pressure. Some countries have started to extract this gas as a fuel in its own right. When this pressure is released suddenly, as by mining activity, then the methane turns back to a gas, expanding rapidly causing, an explosion. This is a bit like the pressure being released on a carbonated drink; the term 'explosion' does not necessarily imply fire in this context, although as methane is flammable this is quite likely.
However, the Endeavor Mine produces silver, zinc, and lead, none of which are associated with explosive deposits, making the cause of the explosion a mystery. Mining expert David Cliff of the University of Queensland has suggested that it may have been caused by explosives used at the mine rather than any feature of the geology. Mine explosions are relatively rare in Australia, with the most recent occurring in Queensland in 2015. However, mining is still a dangerous injury, with 20 fatalities recorded at mines in Australia between October 2022 and October 2025.
The Endeavor Mine was previously in occupation between 1982 and 2000, during which time it produced 2.6 million tonnes of zinc, 1.6 million tonnes of lead, and 2.6 million kg of silver. The mine was acquired by its current owners, Polymetals, in 2023, with the company currently in the process of restarting mining activities. All work at the mine has now ceased, pending the outcome of an inquest into the cause of the explosion.
See also...
