2 men die in fall down Tasmanian mine shaft

Two men died Monday after falling 65 feet down a mine shaft at the Mount Lyell copper mine in Queenstown, Tasmania, company officials said. The two men, Craig Nigel Gleeson, 45, and Alistair Michael Lucas, 25, were maintenance workers for the mining company, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. reported. The cause of the accident was not immediately determined. One of the men died on impact and the other died en route to a hospital, the broadcaster said. "One of the [bodies] is at the local hospital and the other is in situ at the mine and will remain there until we have had the opportunity to conduct some investigations at the accident location," police Inspector Matthew Richman said. Tasmanian Premier Lara Giddings said the accident was devastating for Queenstown. "I send my condolences to the family, friends and work colleagues of these men and as a state government, of course, we'll be there for the community," she said. The Mount Lyell copper mine is Australia's oldest continually operating mine, the Australian Broadcasting Corp. said.