Four people have been rescued and rushed to hospital after an explosion at a mine caused a roof to partially collapse, with one man "thrown three metres into the air before he was buried in rubble".

Emergency services raced to Appin West Colliery, in Douglas Park, Australia at about 3am on Sunday, April 6 following reports of an explosion. Two men were taken to Wollongong Hospital and the other two were conveyed to Liverpool Hospital, where they remain in a stable condition. One man, aged in his 50s, sustained pelvic and head injuries in the accident.

A roof had partially collapsed in the explosion. The blast threw one man three metres into the air before he was buried in rubble and had to free himself. The two other men were trapped from the waist down for 40 minutes.

Authorities are now investigating the cause of the blast. The mine's operator confirmed operations have been paused while the investigation is underway. GM3, which recently acquired the mine site, confirmed operations at Appin Mine have been paused and an investigation was under way, reports Sky News.

A GM3 spokesperson said: "Emergency services responded promptly, and all appropriate emergency protocols were enacted. An investigation is underway with the NSW Resources Regulator and other relevant authorities. Operations have been paused until further notice. At GM3, Our focus always remains on the safety of our people."