Mt Lyell Mining Disaster

On 12th October 2012, I attended the 100 year commemoration of the Mount Lyell Mining Disaster at Queenstown, Tasmania. This tragic mining accident, caused by a fire underground, cost the lives of 43 miners (42 within the mine and one, a rescuer, from the after effects) and altered the futures of a further 122 miners who were underground that day, and their families. It is reputed to be one of Australia’s worst mining accidents. There is still controversy over the cause of the fire, Geoffery Blainey suggesting it was deliberately lit by a disgruntled employee, and more recent research by Peter Schultz suggesting it was caused by a faulty  electrical system in relation to a pump.
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Read our research paper here.