GREYMOUTH – Police said the 29 miners missing in a coal mine blast five days ago are presumed dead as a second explosion yesterday ended hopes of a rescue, marking New Zealand’s worst mining tragedy in 96 years.
The second blast occurred at the Pike River coal mine at about 2.40pm local time and lasted for about 30 seconds, chief executive Peter Whittall, said in the South Island town of Greymouth. The miners’ families were told it was unlikely there were any survivors from the explosion, police superintendent Gary Knowles said.
“New Zealand is a nation in mourning,” prime minister John Key said in a speech in parliament following the news. “The 29 men whose names and faces we have all come to know, will never walk amongst us again.”
The blast was larger than the first explosion on the afternoon of November 19th, which cut off communication with the men who had been working underground, said Mr Whittall. No contact had since been made with the men, who ranged in age from 17 to 62.
Rescuers deemed the mine too unsafe to enter because of the mix of toxic gases inside the labyrinth of tunnels.
“I’m unlikely to see my workmates again. I’m unlikely to see them walk out of that mine,” said a visibly shaken Mr Whittall, with his wife, daughter and son alongside him. “The families have a terrible, terrible thing to deal with. I don’t know what we’ll do next,” he said.
Mr Whittall wore a white, ribbon-shaped lapel badge symbolising an annual appeal for victim support, which he said his daughter and friends were wearing to show support for the workers, the rescuers and Greymouth, a town with a history of mine disasters. Greymouth is located about 30 miles south of the mine.
“This is the west coast’s darkest hour,” said Tony Kokshoorn, mayor of Greymouth. “It doesn’t get worse than this.”
Rescuers will continue to monitor gas levels, said Mr Whittall. He would not comment on the future of the mine. The prime minister had received no advice on the recovery of bodies, saying it would be an “important part, giving closure to the families”. He will travel to Greymouth today.
The government is likely to confirm the details of an inquiry at its next meeting on Monday, as well as other inquiries that may “be deemed appropriate”, he said. All flags on government buildings will fly at half-mast today.
“We know there is a thorough investigation going to go through regardless,” Lawrie Drew, the father of Zen Drew, one of the 29 miners, said. “I may be pre-empting things but I’m a father and if I have lost my son, I will have anger.”
New Zealand’s last major mining accident in 1967 was also near Greymouth, when 19 miners were killed in the Strongman mine.
( Washington Post-Bloomberg)