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Events/Disaster · 1996

Gretley Colliery inrush

Disaster, 1996-11-14, Australia.

What happened

On 14 November 1996 water from the long-abandoned Young Wallsend Colliery burst through the face at Gretley Colliery and drowned four men. A 35 to 50 tonne continuous miner was swept 17.5 m. The inquiry found plan errors of 100 to 200 m and that the 50 m borehole rule was widely assumed to cover them. The Department of Mineral Resources, the mine operator and the surveyor all failed to confirm the plan's accuracy.1,2

Why it matters

The inquiry led to changes in how mine plans are checked in New South Wales.1,2

Story cards

Around the same time

  1. Aberfan disaster

    Aberfan disaster. Wikidata records 144 deaths.3

  2. Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969

    The Act is the British statute on the security of tips. The opened page does not link it to Aberfan.4,5

  3. Westray mine explosion

    The inquiry report is titled A Predictable Path to Disaster.6,7

  4. Blaenavon Industrial Landscape inscribed

    UNESCO World Heritage listing event.8

  5. Pike River Mine disaster

    Pike River Mine disaster.9

  6. Major Mining Sites of Wallonia inscribed

    UNESCO World Heritage listing event.10

  7. Soma mine disaster

    Soma mine disaster. Wikidata records 301 deaths.11

  8. Amasra coal mine explosion, Turkey

    Wikidata records 42 deaths.12

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Where next

Events

ExamplesSouth Bulli Colliery gas outburstGas in 1991, water in 1996: Gretley's inrush drowned four men.1An example ofMount Kembla coal mine explosionThe inquiry led to changes in how NSW mine plans are checked. Compare Mount Kembla, 1902.1

Sources

  1. 1996 Gretley Colliery Inrush case study (Learning from disasters) NSW Resources Regulator
  2. Newcastle (item Q57278), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  3. Wikidata item Q384291 (Aberfan disaster)
  4. Mines and Quarries (Tips) Act 1969 (c. 10), arrangement of sections UK National Archives (legislation.gov.uk)
  5. London (item Q84), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  6. The Westray Story: A Predictable Path to Disaster, executive summary Government of Nova Scotia
  7. Westray Mine (item Q3314812), coordinate location P625 Wikidata
  8. Blaenavon Industrial Landscape UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  9. Wikidata item Q928629 (Pike River Mine disaster)
  10. Major Mining Sites of Wallonia UNESCO World Heritage Centre
  11. Wikidata item Q16869476 (Soma mine disaster)
  12. Wikidata item Q114670156 (Amasra mine explosion)

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Super Pit, Kalgoorlie by Kgbo, CC BY-SA 4.0.