TWO DIE IN PAPER MILL LEAK

TWO men have died and another is fighting for life after a gas tank leak at a paper mill near the NSW-Victorian border, with authorities describing the incident as “tragic”.

The leak at the Norske Skog mill at Ettamogah, north of Albury, on Thursday resulted in 150 people being evacuated and more than a dozen workers taken to hospital.

Four workers — three Norske Skog staff and a contractor — were checking valves about 1.30pm after an annual maintenance shutdown.

SafeWork NSW Inspector Scott Kidd says the three men were overcome by fumes, with initial investigations suggesting it could have been hydrogen sulphide.

NSW Ambulance acting inspector Rodney Hannan said within 25 minutes of arriving on the scene, two men were in cardiac arrest and another was unconscious. A 28-year-old Wodonga man died at Albury Base Hospital on Thursday after sustaining burns and inhaling gas, while a 37-yearold Lavington man died yesterday, NSW Police said.

A third worker remains in a critical condition while a fourth is seriously ill.

“The injuries and the related fallout from what occurred yesterday are consistent with that gas, but it’s yet to be established,” Mr Kidd said at the scene yesterday.

He said the gas was already on the site when the incident happened and it was not the result of the maintenance work being undertaken.

Hazmat crews, along with a lead inspector, are joining the investigation with hopes they will establish the cause of the “tragic” incident over the weekend, Mr Kidd said.

While SafeWork NSW has a “reasonable idea” of what happened, it will wait until all the facts are investigated before releasing it publicly.