Today marks the 40th anniversary of the Box Flat mine disaster which occured this day in 1972. At 2:45am on the morning of Monday the 31st of July a huge underground explosion ripped through Boxflat mine at Swanbank entombing fourteen men, eight of which were Mines Rescue Workers; another three miners above ground were killed and ten others were injured. It was decided that the mine be sealed as it was suspected that none could have survived the terrible explosion that had occured.
Today Ipswich remembers those who lost their lives on this day in 1972, paying tribute also to the people who risked their lives to save those trapped within the mine.
Morning of Box Flat Mine disaster, 1972 – Image courtesy of Picture Ipswich
Information taken from The Queensland Times (31/07/2012)