Endeavor Mine Explosion Kills Irish Man, Woman

Ambrose "Ambie" Patrick McMullen, originally from Cootehill, County Cavan and reported to be in his late 50s/early 60s, was killed in an underground explosion at the Endeavor mine in Cobar, New South Wales, in the early hours of Tuesday. Emergency services were called at about 3:45 a.m.; two women in their 20s were brought to the surface, one of whom later died while the other was airlifted to hospital with hearing damage and shock. Police said all three workers lived in Cobar. Authorities will prepare a report for the coroner and the NSW Resources Regulator and workplace safety bodies have opened investigations. McMullen, who left Cootehill in the mid-1980s and was living in Australia with his wife and children, was paid tribute by schoolmates, local councillors and his hometown community; mine explosion fatalities are rare in Australia, with the last comparable death recorded in 2015.