Police in north-west Queensland say there is now little chance of finding alive a worker missing in an underground copper mine.

Brett Michael Kelly, 34, was last seen late Wednesday morning at Mount Isa’s Glencore copper mine.

District Police Inspector Trevor Kidd says the rescue operation has now been terminated, but the search will continue.

“This is not the end of anything. It just means that unfortunately we don’t believe that he would be alive in the environment he is in,” he said.

“But we will continue to work with all the agencies and continue with the searching.

“We really do need to find out what has occurred and also provide the family with information about what has happened.”

Inspector Kidd says the next stage of the search will involve combing a kilometre of underground area.

“It’s quite technical – everyone is working together very closely in relation to this,” he said.

“I guess we sit down there and work out, how can we do it safely?

“It’s a very hazardous and dangerous environment to work down there so safety is paramount.

“Over the next couple of days, we’ll be looking at how we can best go about checking those areas very safely and effectively.”