The company said 46-year-old Jason Braid died suddenly on Friday afternoon in the Cairns Base Hospital.

Braid, who had been an underground operator at Ernest Henry for the past three years, had been involved in an underground incident on February 1.

The nature of the incident remains unclear but Braid was treated for his injuries and had moved into the rehabilitation stage of his recovery.

“We are deeply saddened by this loss and our deepest thoughts and sympathies go out to his family, friends and colleagues,” Glencore North Queensland copper assets chief operating officer Mike Westerman said.

Glencore is conducting an investigation into the incident.

The company is providing counselling to Braid’s colleagues.

Ernest Henry, outside Cloncurry, produces copper and gold.