A man trapped underground by an earth collapse at the Henty Gold Mine is unlikely to have survived, Tasmania Police said.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
A drone with 3D scanning technology was transported to the West Coast mine on Thursday night to further map the site of the incident.
"Unfortunately due to the images that we've received, with the amount of debris that has fallen into that scene, we now think it's highly unlikely that the missing miner has survived," Inspector Shane LeFevre said on Friday morning.
Inspector LeFevre said the police would continue to work with the mine rescue team on the recovery operation.
"Once again I'd like to just thank the community for their support as we go along and I'd especially like to thank the emergency services workers for their time and dedication over the last 24 hours," he said.
PYBAR chief executive Brendan Rouse said the new 3D scans showed that the loader the missing man was assigned to at the time of the incident was "now half covered in rock".
"It unlikely that someone could've survived that," he said.
"Our whole team are devastated by the news. Our thoughts and prayers are with the family, the communities and all the work mates and our employees and everyone who is involved in Henty Gold Mine."
The identity of the trapped worker has yet to be released, however it is understood he is related to a Queenstown family with a strong connection to the mining industry.