'Hard to describe how tragic this is', says mill boss

“All those families are in our hopes and prayers,” he said. “And we just pray for the recovery of certainly the third individual that’s there [in hospital].”

The company and the Australian Manufacturing Workers Union have offered counselling, which has already been provided.

Workers gathered at the site on Friday afternoon to discuss what had occurred.

“The mood is pretty sad right now,” Mr Foster said. “I think there’s a lot of concern, particularly for the families of the two employees. One of the employees had a couple of small children and it’s a very tight knit group, that particular crew.”

Workers are mouring the loss of two colleagues who died after being overcome by toxic gas at a paper mill.
Photo: JAMES WILTSHIRE

Other factory workers had helped remove the affected men from the top of a large water tank they had been working on. It was the first fatal accident at the site, which opened 37 years ago. The incident occurred during a routine maintenance shutdown.

Firefighters on Thursday ensured the scene was safe and said there was no further risk to the public. Mr Foster said there was no timeline for production to resume.

Emergency workers at Norske Skog paper mill near Ettamogah gather after the deaths of two workers.
Photo: Blair Thomson

Safe Work NSW regional manager Scott Kidd said it was unclear what gas was involved, but investigators ‘‘have a fairly good idea’’.

The symptoms suffered were similar to those expected from hydrogen sulphide exposure. Mr Kidd said the investigation was expected to be long and complex, possibly spanning months.

“The response of the workers involved indicates that it could have been hydrogen sulphide,” he said. “The injuries and the related fallout from what occurred yesterday is consistent with the fallout from that gas, but it’s yet to be established.”

He said it was rare for there to be major issues caused by hydrogen sulphide.

The two dead men and the third man in intensive care were all from the Albury-Wodonga area.

“It’s a really tragic event for the community,” Mr Kidd said.

“We are getting updates from the hospital [about the third man]. “At the moment, all we can hope for is that he pulls through.”

Mayor Kevin Mack said the incident showed the importance of work safety. “It reminds us of the importance of getting home safely from work,” he said.

“There are a lot of families that will be reminded of that today.”

Union organiser Dave Corben encouraged anyone who was struggling to seek help.

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