Fear are growing for the safety of a miner who went missing after an earth collapse at Tasmania's Henty Gold Mine early on Thursday morning.
By Thursday evening, emergency services haven't found signs of life in the mine and will continue the search following new plan assessments.
Emergency crews sent down a thermal imaging drone and robotic camera shortly after midday on Thursday and had hoped to locate him within the hour.
However, by 5pm they had confirmed they had not found the worker, who has been employed at the mine for about two years.
"We are now working with the specialist engineers and emergency response teams and we are formulating another plan as to how best we can go back down safely," Inspector Shane Lefevre said on Thursday.
"We now have grave fears for this person's safety and obviously as time progresses that grows."
Colleagues of the worker raised the alarm at about 4am on Thursday when they couldn't contact or find him.
The man believed to be a Queenstown local was working in the lower levels of the mine in a loader, filling a truck, while on night shift, PYBAR Mining Services chief executive Brendan Rouse told reporters.
"It was the truck driver who identified he didn't come back with the next load," Mr Rouse said.
"We're all obviously distressed."
Three co-workers discovered a section of collapsed earth in the area he had been working, which is about 20 minutes descent underground.
Inspector Lefevre said emergency services had come as close as 50 metres from where the disappearance happened.
He also confirmed the mine is currently not operational and will stay that way until emergency services received any more information.
"Mining is a dangerous industry, and anybody that goes underground has an inherent risk", Mr Lefevre said.
Australian Workers' Union national secretary Daniel Walton said the union was also on site supporting workers and emergency services in the rescue effort.
"We have reached out to our members and spoken to a number of workers who are understandably shaken," he said in a statement.
"In circumstances such as these, rescue efforts are extremely delicate and sensitive and our full support is with the specialists."
Australian Associated Press
