Media releases - 2026

Anglo American’s Moranbah North mines rescue team secured three gold medals after competing against the world’s best in Zambia.

The team won first place in rope rescue, first aid and firefighting at the four-day 2026 International Mines Rescue Competition.

Grosvenor Mine also performed strongly, taking home a silver medal for the mines rescue skills and obstacle race, described as a mini-Olympics or relay type event.

The two Anglo American teams qualified for the international event after they came first and second place respectively at the 61st annual Australian Underground Coal Mines Rescue competition in October.

This marks Moranbah North’s fourth consecutive international mines rescue competition, having previously competed in Russia in 2018, the United States in 2022 and Colombia in 2024. Grosvenor also represented Australia in the US and Colombia competitions.

Mines rescue competitions simulate real-life emergencies to test agility, strength and teamwork. 

Teams were assessed through theoretical and practical scenarios, showcasing skills in firefighting, search and rescue, first aid, hazard awareness and team management across high-pressure situations.

Moranbah North Mine mines rescue team manager Ian Hawkins said achieving first place in three of the six scenarios was incredibly rewarding after the team had trained so hard to prepare.

“What really stood out was how well the teams worked together; that was our strength. Seeing the Moranbah North and Grosvenor teams in action on the world stage was a real highlight for me to watch,” he said.

“There was no doubt our teams were competing against the best in the world – physically and mentally. To compete against those teams at this level was a real credit to each of them.”

Moranbah North general manager Paul Stephan said the team’s international success was a significant achievement, building on strong performances in recent years.

“To achieve this level of success against world-class teams is an outstanding accomplishment and speaks to the team’s discipline, teamwork and preparation,” he said.

“These competitions push teams to perform under pressure and their success reflects the team’s professionalism, preparation and commitment to prioritising safety.

“It’s a credit to not just the team but to the strong safety culture across our operations and we thank Anglo American for its ongoing investment in our people and our emergency preparedness.”

Grosvenor Mine mines rescue team captain Boyd Buschmann said the 2024 Colombia competition had led the team to increase the intensity of the training in preparation for Zambia.

He said the team would look forward to digging into what they had learned at this year’s competition to continue improving its skill set.

“One of my key takeaways from the Zambia competition was again the value of learning through interaction with international teams,” he said.

“This exposure allowed us to see how other countries approach mine rescue while sharing our knowledge and has given us fresh insights to enhance our own training and response capabilities.

“We took out silver in the multi-disciplinary mini-Olympics relay event where the team had to free an entrapped casualty with air bags, provide critical first aid and then transport the casualty through an obstacle course. This included navigating confined pipes, and an underground maze, lifting heavy loads, hammering objects, firefighting, traversing through monkey bars and rebuilding critical infrastructure as a team.

“It was physically demanding but also a lot of fun for the team. It is great to know we are one of the fittest and most skilled rescue teams in the world.”

The Grosvenor team also had the chance to spend time learning alongside emergency responders in Zambia ahead of the competition.

Grosvenor mines rescue team manager Wayne Pate said they first visited Kitwe City Fire Brigade where they toured the only manned station in the city and gained valuable insight into the realities facing community emergency responders with limited resources.

“We were humbled when comparing the training opportunities, equipment and facilities Anglo American provides at each of our mines as part of our emergency preparedness,”

“We’re investigating the potential to send surplus firefighting and emergency response equipment to Kitwe station to increase their response capabilities or to provide equipment allowing the response teams to train”.

The next day, the team visited the Mopani Copper Mines to gain an in‑depth look at the operation’s mines rescue training, systems and response processes.

“Despite being half a world apart, the visit highlighted how much emergency response teams in Australia and Zambia have in common - a shared commitment to preparedness, teamwork and protecting people, both on site and in the community,” he said.

“The visit created opportunities to exchange learnings from our experiences in different operating environments.”

The IMRC involved teams from countries including China, India, Zambia, South Africa, Colombia, Poland and other European nations competing across multiple disciplines.

In Australia, Anglo American has five steelmaking coal mines in Queensland’s Bowen Basin, along with additional joint venture interests in steelmaking coal and manganese, and base metals exploration projects in Queensland.

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