New Zealand mine explosion: 27 miners trapped

[busybeeburns]

YouTube - Miners missing after New Zealand explosion

Up to 27 miners are trapped underground after an explosion ripped through a coal mine on New Zealand's South Island

The blast took place at the Pike River Coal mine, 160 miles west of Christchurch.

The mine's management said up to 27 workers were trapped by the explosion and that two men, who were in a separate part of the mine, had managed to find their way out.

Peter Whittall, the mine's chief executive, said that the two men had returned to the surface and they were being interviewed to try and determine the full extent of the incident. The men had minor injuries and had not had any communication with the trapped men, he said. "One of the employees has said they felt an explosion underground, and since then he's walked from the mine with another employee," Mr Whittall said.

Earlier, Tony Kokshoorn, the mayor of Grey District, where the mine is located, told Radio NZ: "It's not good".

"We don't know at what depth the explosion is but there's certainly a big explosion," he said.

The New Zealand Herald website reported that one man had died in the accident.

Police, the fire service, helicopters and ambulances were converging on the mine and mine rescue teams were being brought in as the mine operators considered how to try to reach the trapped men. Worried families of the miners were also starting to arrive at the gates of the mine.

John Canning, the police area commander, said details were still sparse but initial reports suggested that the men could be up to 5,000 feet underground. Gerry Brownlee, the energy minister, said that the blast took place at 3.45pm local time. He did not know the condition of the trapped men, but said that they included miners on the afternoon shift and members of the mine management, who were on a safety tour at the time.

Mr Brownlee said emergency exit tunnels were built into the mine but that he didn't know if they could be accessed by the miners.

The incident was discovered when an electrician went into the mine to investigate a power outage and found one employee had been blown off his machine by the blast.

The mine, which is 1.4 miles deep, is located on the largest-known deposit of hard coking coal in New Zealand, with 58.5 million tonnes of coal in-ground. It employs 140 people and produces 1.5m tonnes of coal per year.

The mine has been open since 2008 and was increasing production after a series of technical problems delayed its development.

New Zealand's most recent mine disaster, in 1967, killed 19 miners.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/australiaandthepacific/newzealand/8145327/New-Zealand-mine-explosion-27-miners-trapped.html

[busybeeburns]

YouTube - Rescue Stalled

[Italian Plastic]

They don't even know if the miners are alive :blank:

[howyousawtheworld]

They don't even know if the miners are alive :blank:

It's desperately unsettling. This sort of news is just the worst. We see it developing into something that is much worse than anyone could imagine.

[Lore]

Hope all of them are alive.

[Crests]

Is it bad that I laughed? :anxious:

[howyousawtheworld]

Is it bad that I laughed? :anxious:

Huh? What is there to laugh at Crests?

[Reilly]

^^Is it bad I laughed at that? :anxious:

But yeah it is kinda bad you laughed, horrible situ lil Cresto.

[Destrokk]

What copy cats.

[Crests]

I'm sorry, it just struck me as rather funny because of the Chilean miners and yeah. :disappointed:

I quite hope they're okay. :anxious:

[busybeeburns]

http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/50123000/jpg/_50123728_010713222-1.jpg

New Zealand mine: 'No survivors' after second blast

All 29 men missing in a New Zealand coal mine since Friday are believed to be dead after a second explosion.

Police Supt Gary Knowles said there was no hope that anyone could have survived the "massive" underground blast at the Pike River mine on South Island. Prime Minister John Key said the deadliest mine accident in New Zealand for 96 years was a "national tragedy".

Rescuers never made contact with the 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons and a South African. The Britons were Peter Rodger, 40, and Malcolm Campbell, 25, who were both originally from Scotland.

"Many British citizens have made their home in New Zealand and the loss of Mr Rodger, Mr Campbell and their colleagues will have touched the hearts of many in the UK," said UK Foreign Secretary William Hague. Supt Knowles, who led the rescue operation, said there had been another explosion at 1437 (0137 GMT) on Wednesday inside the mine.

"It is our belief that no-one has survived and everyone will have perished," he told reporters. I was at the mine myself when this actually occurred and the blast was horrific, just as severe as the first blast and we're currently now moving into recovery phase.

"This is one of the most tragic things I have had to do as a police officer."

Rescuers had been preparing to go into the mine on Wednesday, but information suggested the levels of methane gas were too high. Shortly afterwards, the second explosion happened. It was larger and stronger than Friday's blast, and lasted about 30 seconds, officials said.

The chief executive of Pike River Coal, Peter Whittall, said it would make every effort to retrieve the bodies of the men, aged between 17 and 62.



http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-pacific-11662533

[Crests]

;___;

[deaths_friend]

theres a lot of animosity surrounding this tragedy. the families feel that they were left out of the loop and there wasnt enough urgency to save the men. and its understandable that they are very upset and confused particularly after all those chilean and chinese miners were saved and a couple of years back a couple of aussie miners were saved in a similar predicament.

[Lore]

what happened with the government or the mine rescuers? did they use all the resources available?

[Italian Plastic]

They did well trying to save them, but they did it too late. I wasn't exactly expecting them to be alive in the first place but :\

This is awful news. Basically every male on my mums side of the family is or has been a miner in Greymouth (near this mine) :sad:

[Cobalt]

what happened with the government or the mine rescuers? did they use all the resources available?

I would say so, they sent robot things down there with cameras to have a look, one was even being brought over from America. I know the families probably feel they weren't given much information but there wasn't really much to begin with... apart from that the air quality wasn't good and high gas levs etc.

[howyousawtheworld]

Rest in Peace to the 29.

[Crests]

Why is the term "rest" used in instances where people die? Dead people aren't resting, they're being dead.

[howyousawtheworld]

Why is the term "rest" used in instances where people die? Dead people aren't resting, they're being dead.

?

[Crests]

You know, like rest in peace.

[Twisted mind]

Why is the term "rest" used in instances where people die? Dead people aren't resting, they're being dead.
Maybe because the word "dead" has a harsher effect than "rest" on people and "rest" sounds more peaceful or something.

This is really a tradegy, the poor relatives :(

[Crests]

I mean, when people say they're gonna go rest for a bit people don't go "R.I.P".


Maybe because the word "dead" has a harsher effect than "rest" on people and "rest" sounds more peaceful or something.

This is really a tradegy, the poor relatives

Eh. I'll also never understand why people apologize when someone dies.


Yeah. :sad:

[Twisted mind]

Eh. I'll also never understand why people apologize when someone dies.


Yeah. :sad:

Me neither, I mean it's not my fault when someone else dies :sad:

[Twisted mind]

I mean, when people say they're gonna go rest for a bit people don't go "R.I.P".

:lol: That would sound REALLY creepy

[illuvcoldplay]

latest I heard was that they all died. This is so tragic and sad :( may they all rest in peace

[howyousawtheworld]

I mean, when people say they're gonna go rest for a bit people don't go "R.I.P".



Eh. I'll also never understand why people apologize when someone dies.


Yeah. :sad:

I never use the abbreviation that is R.I.P. I always think it's lazy and the fact that it looks like rip I am quite uncomfortable with.

Anyway - that's not the point of the thread. Let's respect those brave men who's living was to do a job people like myself and the majority of the population would never want to do. What truly brave men.

[Italian Plastic]

There was a third explosion yesterday :sad:

[Crests]

;___;

[Cascading Waterfall]

There was a third explosion yesterday. :sad:

And another one today.

The rescuers couldn't get into the mine due to high gas levels and a mixture of carbon monoxide and methane. The methane was said to be lethal.

There were three robots sent down the mine, but two broke down and I think the third may have done as well.

Greymouth is on New Zealand's West Coast.

Two miners were expectant fathers and one was getting married in a few weeks.

[Crests]

Two miners were expectant fathers and one was getting married in a few weeks.

:bigcry:

[Cascading Waterfall]

Yes it's very sad.

My mother thinks all that could be left of the miners now is rags and bones. I was talking with a friend on Facebook last night and he said the heat would have speeded up the process.

I think these explosions could go on for some time like the Canterbury aftershocks did.

[Cascading Waterfall]

Pike River disaster inquiry announced:
BREAKING NEWS: A fifth explosion has rocked the Pike River Coal mine tonight where fire is belching from a ventilation shaft.

Recovery attempts will get underway as soon as possible to retrieve the bodies of 29 men who died in the mine after an explosion on November 19.

Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn said families had been shown footage of the mine burning.

A jet engine had not yet been used to clear the mine as intended, but he had not been told why.

The jet engine could be used tonight, but this was not definite, he said. A fire continued to burn in the mine, he said.

The families were worn out and quiet, he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Key has this afternoon announced details of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Pike River disaster.

High Court judge Justice Graham Panckhurst will lead the inquiry.

Mr Key has also announced that an international mining expert would be recruited by the Department of Labour to carry out an urgent audit of all underground mining in New Zealand.

He said Justice Panckhurst, a sitting High Court judge, would be joined by two others with expertise in mining safety and regulation. They would be announced later.

The inquiry would have a wide scope, covering the cause of the explosion, the cause of loss of life, the search and rescue operation, the systems at the mine and relevant regulatory rules in the mining industry.

It would start work as soon as possible and the cost would run into millions of dollars.

"Royal Commissions are reserved for matters of very significant public interest and the Pike River mine tragedy is one of those," Key said.

The terms of reference were only a draft and would be finalised after the commission was appointed and met.

There would be wide involvement from families and the industry and commissioners would have to spend a lot of time on the West Coast.

There was a chance the commission would be delayed by other inquiries it could not conflict with.

Brenda Rackley, partner of John Hale, one of the miners who perished, said friends and relatives were desperate for answers.

She welcomed the inquiry, and said she could not understand how the men had died in a mine less than two years old.

"I can't get it around my head that they had the best technology in the world ... I've been asking myself how this could happen."

Rackley said Hale had often expressed concern about the mine's safety.

She hoped the inquiry would investigate near-misses and other safety incidents in the mine's history.

Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn called for transparency, truth and honesty and said the inquiry was the way to get it.

"It's fantastic news. It's absolutely central that we get this. I thank John Key for doing this," he said.

"People must be able to speak out - the people that want to - and [they] need to be able to do that unhindered."

Kokshoorn said the main points the inquiry needed to cover was why the explosion happened and how to prevent another one in the future.

The Prime Minister will travel to Greymouth with other ministers for a national memorial on Thursday.

FIRE AT MINE

Smoke and flames were last night billowing from the Pike River coalmine, with police admitting it is unrealistic to think the bodies of 29 miners will be recovered intact.

A fourth, more violent explosion rocked the mine yesterday shortly before 2pm, sparking a huge coal fire. The blast damaged a ventilation shaft, and flames could be seen coming through it from the air "like a Bunsen burner." Some vegetation near the shaft also caught fire and had to be put out.

Experts working to retrieve the bodies of the men, trapped since November 19, now have two options to get recovery teams into the mine.

A jet engine device – the Gorniczy Agregat Gasniczy (GAG) – is at the site ready to deploy. But experts need to determine if it can be used after last night's fire.

The mine could be temporarily sealed to starve the fire of oxygen.

Inspector Mark Harrison, who is heading the recovery operation, admitted it was less likely the bodies would now be removed intact.

"There's no time that could be put around this," he said. "We are gathering and assessing the information ... there's been a change in the environment within the mine and we need to know ... what that actually means."

Pike River Coal Chief executive Peter Whittall said families had been asking if they could get their men home by Christmas. A second explosion on Wednesday dashed any hopes the men would be found alive.

It could be some weeks before the bodies were returned, he said.

"I made the point then without being too blunt, Christmas is another `X' on the page as far as what the rescue teams are working towards. They've got to look at the actual time it takes them to do their job."

He added: "These last few days and the last couple of explosions have exacerbated the issue and probably pushed things out."

Whittall saw the smoke and flames when he flew over the mine yesterday afternoon and could smell coal smoke.

The GAG machine is his preferred option and would most likely be deployed in the evening. Sealing the mine (without using the GAG machine) would take longer, he said.

Using the GAG machine could take a number of days, New South Wales Mine Rescue Service general manager Paul Healey told Radio New Zealand.

The procedure would see gas or vapour pumped into the mine for at least three days before it is sealed and left to cool. The cooling of the mine could take some time, he said.

It is unclear if the fire is a "rubbish" coal fire – where coal dislodged by the explosions ignited – or "the worst-case scenario" of the entire coal seam catching alight. This would see the walls of the mine start to burn, Whittall said. "That's a lot harder to dig out or a lot harder to smother."

Key said yesterday that police may bring charges after investigations are complete.

Whittall said this was an inevitable possibility. "I understand that ... when the investigation comes out if someone's done something wrong then there should be consequences to that. I am not confident one way or the other."

Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn said the ventilation shaft was "sheared off" and blown to one side.

Families were "drained."

"They are subdued, they just want closure, they just want their loved ones back."

Lawrie Drew, father of Zen Drew, 21, said he was concerned his son would never be returned.

"Realistically we know no more than last Friday," Drew said. "All we know is they've missed quite a few opportunities to go in there and all we've got is everybody speculating."

COAL MINING FUTURE 'RESTS ON INQUIRY'

The future of underground coalmining in New Zealand rests on the findings of the royal commission of inquiry into the Pike River tragedy announced today, Key says.

Yesterday he said there were "very hard questions to be asked and answered".

"In the end, the future of Pike River and actually underground coalmining in New Zealand rests on this," Key told TVNZ's Q+A programme. "We can't put people into environments that are dangerous."

The royal commission would be carried out in addition to inquiries by the coroner's office, the Labour Department and the police.

There are four underground coalmines in New Zealand, involving 450 workers.

Greens co-leader Russel Norman said the inquiry should report in two parts, with the second looking at broader questions about the underground mining industry as a whole.

"There have been many questions raised about whether the regulatory framework is strong enough," Norman said.

The first part of the inquiry should focus on the specific cause of the explosion at Pike River to help provide closure for the victims' families.

"Part two would focus on the related issue of the broader safety and regulation of underground mining and could take longer to report back."

Norman said the royal commission should include a workers' representative.

Key said he could not speculate on the future of the Pike River mine.

"What I do know is it's claimed the lives of 29 men. They should be home with their families and they're not, and I owe it to those families to make sure that they get answers to those questions, and I'm determined to do that."

http://static2.stuff.co.nz/1290995634/652/4402652.jpg
HIGH COURT JUDGE: Justice Graham Panckhurst.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pike-river-mine-disaster/4399947/Pike-River-disaster-inquiry-announced

[howyousawtheworld]

Pike River disaster inquiry announced:
BREAKING NEWS: A fifth explosion has rocked the Pike River Coal mine tonight where fire is belching from a ventilation shaft.

Recovery attempts will get underway as soon as possible to retrieve the bodies of 29 men who died in the mine after an explosion on November 19.

Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn said families had been shown footage of the mine burning.

A jet engine had not yet been used to clear the mine as intended, but he had not been told why.

The jet engine could be used tonight, but this was not definite, he said. A fire continued to burn in the mine, he said.

The families were worn out and quiet, he said.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister John Key has this afternoon announced details of a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Pike River disaster.

High Court judge Justice Graham Panckhurst will lead the inquiry.

Mr Key has also announced that an international mining expert would be recruited by the Department of Labour to carry out an urgent audit of all underground mining in New Zealand.

He said Justice Panckhurst, a sitting High Court judge, would be joined by two others with expertise in mining safety and regulation. They would be announced later.

The inquiry would have a wide scope, covering the cause of the explosion, the cause of loss of life, the search and rescue operation, the systems at the mine and relevant regulatory rules in the mining industry.

It would start work as soon as possible and the cost would run into millions of dollars.

"Royal Commissions are reserved for matters of very significant public interest and the Pike River mine tragedy is one of those," Key said.

The terms of reference were only a draft and would be finalised after the commission was appointed and met.

There would be wide involvement from families and the industry and commissioners would have to spend a lot of time on the West Coast.

There was a chance the commission would be delayed by other inquiries it could not conflict with.

Brenda Rackley, partner of John Hale, one of the miners who perished, said friends and relatives were desperate for answers.

She welcomed the inquiry, and said she could not understand how the men had died in a mine less than two years old.

"I can't get it around my head that they had the best technology in the world ... I've been asking myself how this could happen."

Rackley said Hale had often expressed concern about the mine's safety.

She hoped the inquiry would investigate near-misses and other safety incidents in the mine's history.

Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn called for transparency, truth and honesty and said the inquiry was the way to get it.

"It's fantastic news. It's absolutely central that we get this. I thank John Key for doing this," he said.

"People must be able to speak out - the people that want to - and [they] need to be able to do that unhindered."

Kokshoorn said the main points the inquiry needed to cover was why the explosion happened and how to prevent another one in the future.

The Prime Minister will travel to Greymouth with other ministers for a national memorial on Thursday.

FIRE AT MINE

Smoke and flames were last night billowing from the Pike River coalmine, with police admitting it is unrealistic to think the bodies of 29 miners will be recovered intact.

A fourth, more violent explosion rocked the mine yesterday shortly before 2pm, sparking a huge coal fire. The blast damaged a ventilation shaft, and flames could be seen coming through it from the air "like a Bunsen burner." Some vegetation near the shaft also caught fire and had to be put out.

Experts working to retrieve the bodies of the men, trapped since November 19, now have two options to get recovery teams into the mine.

A jet engine device – the Gorniczy Agregat Gasniczy (GAG) – is at the site ready to deploy. But experts need to determine if it can be used after last night's fire.

The mine could be temporarily sealed to starve the fire of oxygen.

Inspector Mark Harrison, who is heading the recovery operation, admitted it was less likely the bodies would now be removed intact.

"There's no time that could be put around this," he said. "We are gathering and assessing the information ... there's been a change in the environment within the mine and we need to know ... what that actually means."

Pike River Coal Chief executive Peter Whittall said families had been asking if they could get their men home by Christmas. A second explosion on Wednesday dashed any hopes the men would be found alive.

It could be some weeks before the bodies were returned, he said.

"I made the point then without being too blunt, Christmas is another `X' on the page as far as what the rescue teams are working towards. They've got to look at the actual time it takes them to do their job."

He added: "These last few days and the last couple of explosions have exacerbated the issue and probably pushed things out."

Whittall saw the smoke and flames when he flew over the mine yesterday afternoon and could smell coal smoke.

The GAG machine is his preferred option and would most likely be deployed in the evening. Sealing the mine (without using the GAG machine) would take longer, he said.

Using the GAG machine could take a number of days, New South Wales Mine Rescue Service general manager Paul Healey told Radio New Zealand.

The procedure would see gas or vapour pumped into the mine for at least three days before it is sealed and left to cool. The cooling of the mine could take some time, he said.

It is unclear if the fire is a "rubbish" coal fire – where coal dislodged by the explosions ignited – or "the worst-case scenario" of the entire coal seam catching alight. This would see the walls of the mine start to burn, Whittall said. "That's a lot harder to dig out or a lot harder to smother."

Key said yesterday that police may bring charges after investigations are complete.

Whittall said this was an inevitable possibility. "I understand that ... when the investigation comes out if someone's done something wrong then there should be consequences to that. I am not confident one way or the other."

Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn said the ventilation shaft was "sheared off" and blown to one side.

Families were "drained."

"They are subdued, they just want closure, they just want their loved ones back."

Lawrie Drew, father of Zen Drew, 21, said he was concerned his son would never be returned.

"Realistically we know no more than last Friday," Drew said. "All we know is they've missed quite a few opportunities to go in there and all we've got is everybody speculating."

COAL MINING FUTURE 'RESTS ON INQUIRY'

The future of underground coalmining in New Zealand rests on the findings of the royal commission of inquiry into the Pike River tragedy announced today, Key says.

Yesterday he said there were "very hard questions to be asked and answered".

"In the end, the future of Pike River and actually underground coalmining in New Zealand rests on this," Key told TVNZ's Q+A programme. "We can't put people into environments that are dangerous."

The royal commission would be carried out in addition to inquiries by the coroner's office, the Labour Department and the police.

There are four underground coalmines in New Zealand, involving 450 workers.

Greens co-leader Russel Norman said the inquiry should report in two parts, with the second looking at broader questions about the underground mining industry as a whole.

"There have been many questions raised about whether the regulatory framework is strong enough," Norman said.

The first part of the inquiry should focus on the specific cause of the explosion at Pike River to help provide closure for the victims' families.

"Part two would focus on the related issue of the broader safety and regulation of underground mining and could take longer to report back."

Norman said the royal commission should include a workers' representative.

Key said he could not speculate on the future of the Pike River mine.

"What I do know is it's claimed the lives of 29 men. They should be home with their families and they're not, and I owe it to those families to make sure that they get answers to those questions, and I'm determined to do that."

http://static2.stuff.co.nz/1290995634/652/4402652.jpg
HIGH COURT JUDGE: Justice Graham Panckhurst.
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/pike-river-mine-disaster/4399947/Pike-River-disaster-inquiry-announced

Deeply distressing. It's awful to say this but it looks like it will be very hard for rescuers to retrieve their bodies. An awful awful job to have to do.

[howyousawtheworld]

*double post*

[Crests]

edit: nevermind, that's probably offensive

Why do they keep exploding? /n00b

[Cascading Waterfall]

Edit: nevermind, that's probably offensive.

Why do they keep exploding? /n00b

Well there are high levels of carbon monoxide and methane gas down in the mine, plus it would have been very hot down there too.

There will be absolutely nothing left of the bodies now.

[HBK-79]

This is so sad. First, Chile. Now NZ.:cry:

[Cascading Waterfall]

There were originally 31 miners, but two were able to get out of the mine straight after the 1st explosion happened. I wish this had been the case for all of them.