GREYMOUTH – A robot will probably be sent into a New Zealand coal mine where 29 men have been trapped for almost three days as toxic gas delays the start of a rescue operation, a district mayor said yesterday
There has been no contact with the miners since an explosion ripped through the Pike River colliery on the rugged west coast of New Zealand’s South Island on Friday afternoon, with authorities saying the gas level made it too dangerous to enter the mine.
Progress was being made, Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn said, with a robot being prepared to be sent into the mine this afternoon to check whether there was a clear path for rescuers once the go-ahead to enter is given.
“There’s an obstacle or a truck that’s parked in the tunnel itself, but they’ve been assured by the driver that there’s a metre on each side and they can move around that, so they’ll be getting some vision with the robot.”
Efforts were now being made to try to ensure the robot was spark resistant to avoid the risk of a new gas explosion, one source said.
An explosion of naturally occurring methane gas is thought to have caused the explosion. High levels of gas have been detected near mine ventilation shafts.
Drilling of the new 15cm shaft (six inches) on a steep hillside above the mine started on Saturday evening and went through the night. It was reported to be about half way down the 150m estimated depth to reach an area of the tunnel closer to where the trapped miners might be.
Once the shaft is drilled rescuers are hoping to lower a camera down to determine if the men are nearby.
“Things are moving forward,” Mr Kokshoorn said.
Authorities have said it is possible that the miners have survived the blast and are in an area where the air is cleaner.
Tests on the air quality are being conducted every 30 minutes at the mine’s shafts, but the toxic gas levels have been fluctuating. They needed to be falling to allow rescue teams to go in.
Families and friends of the trapped men were to be briefed on the progress. However, Mr Kokshoorn said emotions were running high and people were frustrated at the slow pace of the rescue. The trapped men range in age from 17 to 62 and include two Britons, two Australians and a South African.
Two men escaped from the mine after the blast with moderate injuries. The weather in the mountains in which the mine is situated was generally fine and sunny for the first time in several days.
The isolated mine has been dug about 2.3km (1.4 miles) horizontally into a mountain range, with the trapped men believed to be most of the way inside.
– (Reuters)