Quinn, 32, worked for McMahon’s, a mining contractor. He was reportedly working alone about 900 meters underground when the explosion occurred. Operations at the Leinster mine have been halted while an investigation by the company and state government authorities is carried out.

This is the fourth death at a BHP Billiton plant in Western Australia since 2000. Almost two years ago a worker was killed in a gas explosion at the company’s Boodarie hot briquetted iron plant at Port Hedland. In April 2004 a man was killed at its Nelson Point facility, also at Port Hedland. And in May 2000 a truck driver was killed at a BHP Pilbara iron ore operation in the state.

Three miners were rescued January 3 from the Avebury nickel mine in northwest Tasmania after being trapped a half-mile underground by a fire.

The three survived the blaze, caused by a fire on an ore truck inside the mine, by taking refuge in a steel rescue chamber equipped with 72 hours of oxygen. They were rescued eight hours after the fire broke out.
 
 
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