A worker has died at the New Afton Mine just outside of Kamloops after a ‘mud rush incident’ early this morning.

In a press release, New Gold CEO Renaud Adams says the incident happened at 1:40 a.m. today noting there were three employees who were involved. Two New Gold employees sustained non-life-threatening injuries while a third worker, a contract driller, has apparently died.

BC Emergency Health Services spokesperson Sarah Morris tells NL News seven paramedic crews were called at 2:17 a.m. today.

“Two patients were cared for by our paramedics before being transferred to hospital in stable condition. My understanding is that they have since been released from hospital,” Morris says.

All activities at the mine have been suspended while New Gold and emergency crews investigate. The company says the identities of the workers involved won’t be released until after next of kin are notified.

“The thoughts of the board of directors and management are with the family, friends and colleagues that have been impacted by this unfortunate incident,” New Gold says.

Kamloops RCMP spokesperson Const. Crystal Evelyn says police are still on scene investigating.

“Our job along with going with going there and helping and ensuring that you know people are as safe as they can be is also to secure the scene, document and investigate anything that might be going on there, in case it turns out that there was criminality involved, so that if it turns out later on that something was not obvious at the time, we have the tings in place to be able to investigate.”

B.C.’s Minister of Mines Bruce Ralston says he was saddened to hear of this morning’s tragedy at the mine, and sent his condolences to all of those affected.

“A contractor was one of three workers at the mine who became trapped by an unexpected underground mudslide,” Ralston says. “The New Afton Mine and those who work there are familiar to me, being one of the first sites I visited at the start of my tenure as minister.”

The New Afton copper and gold mine employs about 500 people in the Kamloops area.

– With files from Brett Mineer and Victor Kaisar