Pike River Mine police recovery over...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Pike River Mine police recovery over...
 

Pike River Mine Police recovery program is over...

The Pike River mine and Police Commissioner Howard Broad
Pike River press conference January 13 2011:

Police Commissioner Howard Broad says the danger is too great to recover the bodies of the 29 men inside Pike River mine and announced the police operation is over.

"We dealt with the Pike River Mine by requesting a plan ... the company have provided us with a plan but it raised many questions," Broad said a media briefing this evening.

"I have since had a reply to those questions and frankly my confidence in terms of a recovery operation to bring the men out is quite low."

He said that when he had visited the area at Christmas he had said access to the mine would be "desirable but not legally essential".

He reiterated that police had said then they would do their level best "but not though putting lives at risk".

"While it is possible to argue a technical case that access to the mine is possible, it is in my idea impractical to expend much hope on that prospect."

He said he had advice from experts from Australia and New Zealand which led to his decision.

"It would be quite wrong for the police to hold out great hope that the men will be recovered.

"The assessment is that the likelihood of getting into the mine is unrealistic because it is too unsafe.

"I have decided that the recovery phase of this operation will come to a conclusion."

He said the operation will be handed back to Pike River Coal's receiver, which controls Pike River coal mine.

He has told the receiver of his decision and is waiting his reply.

"In my view, it is time to focus on the living and to respect and memorialise those who have died," Broad said.

He thanked the families for the way in which they have dealt with "this most heart-rending of tragedies and I am gratified with the response from the families".

"We are disappointed that we are not in a different state than we are here today."

He described the families' reaction to the news as a "a mixture of emotions".

"There were some extremely probing questions of the decision making process but I think they were grateful for having being briefed on this."

ONE News reporter Jack Tame spoke to families as they came out of their meeting with Broad.

He said some were clearly upset and frustrated, saying it was too early for the police to pull out.

But Families' spokesman Bernie said he could understand the police position and that the responsiblity realisically needs to be left to the receivers now

"It's about time the receivers started coming out of their closet and started helping us and helping the families."

He says it now gives the receivers a chance to put their plan in place and keep in contact with families.

Broad said police were still anticipating a situation where the mine could one day be safe enough to enter and that the mine would not need to be sealed yet.

NZ television News today

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Image via WikipediaThe Kiwi Riverman Post wishes all our readers the compliments of the season despite natural disasters and inclement weather...




The Kiwi Riverman Post wishes all our readers a most happy Christmas in 2010 and New Year 2011.


It has been a very difficult year around the world politically, economically and socially as well. There have been a number of natural catastrophies, including a massive 7.1 earthquake in New Zealand which caused a lot of damage around Christchurch City and around the surrounding area, but lacked any loss of life, compared to the earthquake of similar size in Haiti which caused hundreds of thousands of deaths, injured  and homeless people. The Christchurch earthquake has been the most expensive natural disaster in history - costing New Zealand NZ$5 billion  in damage and estimated rebuilding.

There was another volcanic eruption in Indonesia which caused severe damage and hundreds of deaths and injuries, and four explosions in a coalmine near Greymouth on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island which initially trapped, and killed 29 miners there; after toxic gases ignited, and continue to burn unabated, and entomb the miners below. There have been other reported disasters around the world but these two are in our part of Asia Pacific and have special significance for our peoples.

Christmas will not be a happy time for many New Zealand families this year. We must also have some sympathy and feeling for the people of Britain and Europe who are enduring arctic-like weather at present which is keeping aircraft on the ground because of the snow-storms and icy conditions..

We can only hope the New Year will see some improvement in the weather and fortunes of all involved.

So happy Christmas and New Year again.

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• N.Z. Crisis Minister Grapples With Lost Miners, Quake (businessweek.com)
• New Zealand mine blast: frustration mounts five days on - The Guardian (news.google.com)
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Pike River mine one of the most difficult mine safety expert has dealt with...

Image by Getty Images via @daylife

Pike River mine one of the most difficult mine safety expert has dealt with...

The Pike River mine is one of the most difficult an Australian mine safety expert has dealt with.

Efforts are continuing to retrieve the bodies of 29 men killed after a series of explosions in the coal mine, about 50km from Greymouth. The first was on November 19.

David Cliff, an Associate Professor at the University of Queensland, is advising on the Pike River operation which is relying on a jet-propelled machine brought in from Australia to extinguish the fire before rescuers can enter the mine.

Operation of the machine - the Gorniczy Agregat Gasniczy (GAG) - will continue throughout the weekend, as will monitoring of gas levels and temperatures.

Tasman district area commander Superintendent Gary Knowles said Prof Cliff had been back at the mine site today.

"He's described the mine as one of the most challenging he's had to deal with in terms of the terrain, isolation and access," Mr Knowles said.

Once the fire is put out, the GAG machine will blow nitrogen down the shaft to try and cool the mine down.

"Clearly the fire must be extinguished before the next steps can happen in making the mine safe to enter," he said.

Acnowledgements: - NZPA

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A second explosion at Pike River has destroyed any chance of rescuing the 29 miners..


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by Peter Petterson


A second explosion shortly before 3pm this afternoon has destroyed even the remotest chance of rescuing the 29 trapped miners at the Pike River coalmine just outside of Greymouth on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island.

There are fears at present that they may never be able to even recover the twenty nine bodies of the dead miners - because there is now no possibility that they could have survived this second explosion, if indeed they survived the initial explosion in the mine last Friday afternoon, New Zealand time.

New Zealand had received help from Australian and American mine safety experts. Robots had been flown in from both countries - they were to take over from the two NZ defence force robots which had proven inadequate. Australian safety experts had been at Greymouth since Saturday. The spirit of Anzac was evident on the West Coast during the last few days. You might say it was reciprocal help for the assistance given by Kiwi firefighters to their Aussie counterparts during the horrific bushfires in Victoria a couple of years ago. It was much appreciated!

The families of the Kiwi miners were totally shattered by the outcome. The CEO of the Pike River coal company, Peter Whittle, proved a tower of strength and a great leader during the last few days. The police commander came under intense criticism for not sending searchers into the mine; advice suggested the possibility of another explosion. The Government organised the necessary support and resources, with government ministers and the PM,John Key, on site during the last few days. They were vindicated for their actions this afternoon. The outcome was not what everybody hoped for, but it was always a distinct possibility. The poisonous gases in the mine included methane, ethane and carbon monoxide. the latter may well have killed the miners days ago

Firstly, there will be families from New Zealand, Australia and South Africa coming together for a final farewell to their kinfolk - sons, fathers, brothers, husbands and partners. There may well be no bodies to bury. They could well be interred in the Pike River mine indefinately, or eternally. It could well become their collective tomb. Only time will tell.

There will be decisions made about the future of the Pike River company; will a replacement mine be established there? A number of enquiries will also have to be made, including a NZ Government Commission of Enquiry in a few months
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The coal remains underground, and a much needed industry must continue in the district; about 300 people are employed directly or indirectly in the coal industry there. There is also a state owned Solid Energy mine on the West Coast. The latter has has been idle in recent days as they have supplied much needed assistance to Pike River.

A number of negative claims made about the Pike River mine will have to be discussed during the enquiries. It is the worst coal industry accident since the Strongman mine tragedy of a few decades ago. It is New Zealand's worst domestic loss of life since the Air New Zealand crash in Antarctica back in the 1970's. The Christchurch earthquake a few months ago will cost over 4.5 million dollars in insurance and rebuilding, but there was no direct loss of life through accidental death.

There will be many stories written in coming days, weeks, months and years, but this is the way I saw it today.

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Image via WikipediaToday at Pike River - 75 hours after the mine explosion and no rescue yet..
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by peter petterson

It has now been 75 hours since the mine explosion at the Pike River coalmine near Greymouth on the West Coast of New Zealand's South Island,trapped 29 miners below ground. There has been no contact or any news about the state of the mine or the health of the miners. A telephone in the mine has not been used. Two miners who were late coming into the mine were injured by the blast,but made there way out to safety and received medical help last Friday.

There have been a number of meetings between the various parties involved and with family members since Friday.Technical help has arrived from Queensland in Australia, and now from the NZ military a robot has been sent and tested this afternoon by Army personnel. This should be sent into the mine tomorrow. The levels of poisonous gases in the mine have been monitored regularly by helicopter. A road through the national park on the mountain is being cut to make access easier. A bore is being drilled through to the mine, and should be completed in a few hours. A camera will then be sent down to examine the interior of the mine.
Yesterday a full list of those down in the mine was released to the media and reported by various television and radio networks

While there have been very positive signs of hope that rescue teams would soon be down to search and rescue these miners: 24 kiwis, 2 Aussies, 2 Brits and 1 South African, the state of the mine has prevented it up until now. There has now been a rather subtle change in speech and body- language by the police commander, mine manager and the NZ prime minister, John Key and his Minister of Energy, Gerry Brownlee. They have mentioned a search and recovery scenario now.

The families of the trapped miners have become increasingly despondent and frustrated by the lack of action, but the police will not risk endangering rescue personnel until it is safe to enter the mine. Something that occurred in Australia a number of years ago; a number of rescuers were also killed along with some of the miners. The NZ scenario is chillingly similar to that of the West Virginia mine tragedy many years ago - all 29 miners were lost there after a similar mine explosion. There are also 28 miners trapped in a flooded mine in China at present.

As I mentioned above specialist rescue equipment has been flown in from Queensland, and will be off-loaded from Christchurch to Greymouth. A robot has been sent south by the NZ Army, and cameras will be sent down to view the mine once the bore being drilled on the mountain above the mine, has been completed in a few hours. The bore will also enable quicker monitoring of the poisonous gases down in the mine. Heat-seeking equipment can also be dropped down the bore in an attempt to confirm that there is life down there.
While the miners may be out of food, there are plenty of fresh water supplies throughout the mine. Any injured miners will obviously be in need of treatment by now
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On the negative side of the ledger, there may well be a decision tomorow to search and recover bodies down in the mine. As I wrote above, the names of all of the miners have been made available to the media, and have been distributed by the various radio and television networks. And Pike River could turn out to be another West Virginia scenario

But being the usually positive character I am, all the miners could well be rescued tomorrow and emulate the situation over the mountains in Christchurch where there are still no fatalities from the massive 7.1 earthquake there a few months ago, apart from a number of heart attack fatalities which may be attributed to that disaster, and nearly three thousand after-shocks as well.

As the man said, cross your fingers and hope to die. But still no rescue yet. But tomorrows another day!

http://huttriver.blog.co.uk

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http://huttriver.blog.co.uk

Image via WikipediaFamilies gathering outside the site of the underground mine explosion at the Pike River on the West Coast, NZ...


Families are gathering outside the site of an underground mine explosion at the Pike River on the West Coast this evening, where 27 miners remain unaccounted for.The reported fatality has not yet been confirmed here just after 9pm  Friday evening NZ time,

At least two people have now emerged from the mine, following the explosion. They have been taken to Westport DHB with moderate injuries
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The two miners indicated three of their colleagues were also on their way to the surface.
Some media were reporting one fatality but West Coast DHB could not confirm the death.

Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall said he had not received any reports of fatalities.

He described the safety conditions in the mine as excellent and said the trapped miners had safety equipment.

"Every worker carried a safety rescue device at all times including a breathing apparatus with oxygen," Mr Whittall said.

"The men are between two and two and a half kilometres inside, but because the mine drills into the side of the mountain they are probably only 120 below the surface.

"The issue for the rescue team will be to ensure that the ventilation underground is adequate for them to go in and find the men."

He said it was only speculation that the men were trapped because they were trained to go to a place of safety and to wait.

Blast rips through mine
West Coast Mine Rescue workers were preparing to enter the mine, 50km northeast of Greymouth, around 8pm.
An afternoon shift of miners and some management were underground at the Pike River Coal Mine near Greymouth when an explosion occurred around 3.45pm.

Earlier, Mr Whittall said 27 workers remained missing - 15 employees and 12 contractors.

Emergency services are at the mine's processing plant in Atarau, halfway between Greymouth and Reefton.
Six ambulances were on the scene, and three rescue helicopters were being sent from Nelson, Greymouth and Christchurch.

St John ambulance has more than 20 staff at the scene at the moment and is sending additional staff from Christchurch.

Police said they could not give full details yet but 36 tags belonging to miners were still hanging on the board at the mine.

"Those miners have not yet been heard from," said police spokeswoman Barbara Dunn
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Police say there is concern that ventilation inside the mine shaft may be compromised by the power outage.
Loader driver blown 1500m

There was a power outage at the mine this afternoon, and an electrician went in to investigate about 3.50pm. He discovered a loader driver who had been blown off his machine about 1500m into the mine shaft, she said.
He was one of the two men to emerge from the mine.

Two workers had emerged from the mine, but they had been working in a different area.

The two miners escaped by walking two kilometres in a valley inside the mine, climbing up inside the mountain. They eventually emerged through an escape portal.

Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee, who expects to be at the scene around 11pm, said the blast happened at 3.45pm and the last contact with any of the miners was lost at 4.15pm
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He said mine officials had no idea what caused the blast, or the condition of the miners who were trapped.
The Mayor of Grey District, Tony Kokshoorn, who rushed to the site of the blast, said "it's not good".
"With a bit of luck, it might be okay but there are 25 to 30 unaccounted for."

Rapid response mines rescue teams have been mobilised from their headquarters at Rapahoe, seven miles north of Greymouth.

Escape tunnels in mine

Herald video journalist Simon Baker, who has been in the mine, says it does have an evacuation chute where miners can escape if the main entrance to the mine tunnel is blocked.

"They've built a small channel, which is just a ladder to the top of the mountain," said Mr Baker.

Mr Brownlee confirmed the existence of the exit tunnels but didn't know if they could be accessed by the miners.

He said he would be going to the mine tonight.

"Any assistance the Government can provide, the Government will be there."
Pike River Coal Mine

The mine is located 46 km to the northeast of Greymouth, halfway between Greymouth and Reefton.

The Brunner seam at Pike River holds the largest-known deposit of hard coking coal in New Zealand, with 58.5 million tonnes of coal in-ground. It runs six kilometres north-south and up to one-half kilometres east-west, averaging about seven metres in thickness
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The company had recently almost halved its production forecasts for the 2011 year to between 320,000 and 360,000 tonnes
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The mine is extremely isolated. It is a hill site mine that is made up of horizontal tunnels
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Around 150 people are employed by the mine. New CEO Peter Whittall started on October 2.

Acknowledgements: NZ Herald staff

http://huttriver.blog.co.uk

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