THE REMAINS OF Mario Francis, who was killed in a mining accident in Tipperary earlier this week, have been recovered.
The Philippines native was killed on Thursday during a partial collapse at Lisheen Mine. His body was brought to the surface at about 11.30pm last night and driven by Garda escort to Limerick General Hospital where an autopsy was conducted this morning.
He had been buried in the loader he was driving at about 4.40pm Thursday after being caught under a rockfall in a localised section of one mine tunnel.
Mario, who was in his 40s, had worked at Lisheen for 12 years. He is survived by his wife My-Ann and adult children Julemar and Mario Junior. His remains will be repatriated for burial in the Philippines.
Although he was pronounced dead by paramedics on the day, it was deemed unsafe to remove his body immediately.
General manager at the facility, John Elmes, said, “Despite the shock and sadness we all still feel at the death of our colleague Mario, we are comforted that his remains are now back in the care of his family.
“On behalf of all my colleagues in Lisheen I wish to once again extend our deepest sympathy to Mario’s wife My-Ann, her sons Jomar (aged nine) and Jolrem (aged five), Mario’s daughter Julemar (22) and son Mario Junior (19) and to his extended family. Our thought and prayers are with them.”
Elmes also said that Mario was a “well-liked employee” who will be missed dearly. He thanked the emergency services and mine rescue team who assisted and “worked tirelessly to recover Mario’s remains in order to ensure that his body could be safely recovered as quickly as possible”.
The Health and Safety Authority has started a full investigation into the incident. It is understood no other workers were involved in the accident.
The mine has operated since 1997 and claims to be one of the largest producers of zinc concentrates in Europe. Some 370 people are employed there.
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