A man has been seriously injured after falling about 20 metres down a “securely fenced” mine shaft on the West Coast this morning.
Police were notified that a person had fallen at the Tyneside Mine located around 10km northeast of Greymouth at 11am on Wednesday.
“The person has some injuries but is in verbal contact with Fire & Emergency NZ personnel at the site.”
Person seriously injured following 20m fall at West Coast mine – watch on TVNZ+
Hato Hone St John said one ambulance and one operations manager were on scene.
“One patient, in serious condition, is being transported to Greymouth Hospital.”
Two fire trucks from Brunner and Greymouth were at the scene working with a lines team.
They had fallen at the Tyneside Mine located around 10km northeast of Greymouth this morning. (Source: 1News)
The Department of Conservation said it had staff on site alongside emergency services.
Greymouth District Office senior ranger Darrell Haworth said the highway side of the site was closed while the recovery effort was underway.
“We first want to ensure the person is extracted safely from the mineshaft, before we undertake work to ensure the site is safe for the public. The mineshaft is securely fenced, at this time we do not know how the person accessed the shaft.”
Tyneside Mine was one of several mines situated on the banks of the Grey River and was in operation between the 1870s and 1908.
