^well said.
news isnt good this morning.
Pike River 'pool' the key to New Zealand miners' survival as drill finally breaks through
AUTHORITIES have revealed the Pike River Coal mine "may never" be safe enough for teams to enter and rescue 29 trapped miners.
Asked whether it would ever be safe for rescue workers to enter the mine, where the miners have been trapped since Friday, Superintendent Gary Knowles conceded that "it may never reach that point", stuff.co.nz reports.
He also said: "Whilst I can understand [the families'] frustration, we are doing everything possible to go underground. Obviously over time, hopes diminish."
The statement by Supt Knowles came as hot gas and air rushed out of the mine after a drill finally broke through this morning.
An
aerial photo shows a light amount of smoke coming from the Pike River Coal Mine portal after an underground explosion ripped through the coal mine near Atarau, New Zealand ..
Men work on the air-flow system of Pike River Coal Mine mine
Energy minister Gerry Brownlee confirmed the 150mm bore hole had been completed, amid reports a second robot was making good progress into the mine.
He said the drill hole had "hot gas rushing up it and a lot of hot air as well", stuff.co.nz reported.
Authorities later said the gas was high in carbon dioxide and methane and low in oxygen.
Rescuers hope to lower a camera and listening device into the hole shortly.
Pike River CEO Peter Whittall said there was a "large understanding" that because of the rush of gases that came out of the bore hole and the length of time since the blast, that the outlook was not good for the 29 men underground.
But he added: "I certainly hope the guys are waiting down there. I certainly hope to see them again."
A second robot was sent into the mine this morning and has passed the 1km mark.
The first robot used in the rescue was restarted overnight and also reached the 1km mark before its battery ran flat. It found a miner's cap lamp belonging to Russell Smith, one of two men who escaped the mine after Friday's blast.
Mr Whittall said the lamp was still working, which meant if surviving miners were using their lights sparingly, they might still be able to see.
A third robot is being flown in from Australia.
Protected area
Today's developments follow speculation that four men may be alive in a secluded area of the tunnel complex.
Authorities yesterday described the chances for the 29 miners missing since Friday's massive gas explosion as "bleak", and New Zealand's Prime Minister warned the nation to prepare for the worst.
But The Australian has learned that miners at the site have identified one section where men may have survived.
The coal-washing area known as "the pool" is downhill, to one side, and around a corner from the central area where the explosion is understood to have occurred.
According to goldminer Dave Staiger, who lives in a mining village near the Pike River site and is in contact with its workers, the rescue teams believe that the main force of the methane blast and fire would have gone up the mine, and "the pool" would have been at least partially protected.
Mr Staiger showed The Australian a map, drawn by one of the miners at Pike River, displaying the mine layout and pointing out the coal preparation section.
In a media briefing yesterday, Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall identified that area as being one where a small number of miners had been working.
Mr Whittall described how the two miners who had been knocked down by the blast, but walked out of the mine, had both been working away from the main area of the mine, and protected by distance or being around a corner.
"Survival or otherwise in a blast on that basis depends on where you are," Mr Whittall said.
CCTV
Dramatic footage showing the moment the explosion blasted its way out of the main tunnel was revealed for the first time yesterday.
Pike River executives and police played video footage taken from a CCTV camera at the entrance to the mine.
It shows a rag at the side of the entrance to the tunnel gently bending into it with the ventilation flow, then sweeping violently outwards as a ferocious gush of wind and debris starts flying out. The explosion lasts nearly a minute, as dust, bits of material and finally a piece of light sheet metal rush out of the mine almost horizontally.
The company and police used the video to counter anger among families and friends that five days after the blast, it was still too dangerous to send in rescue teams.
With AAP and The Australian
Read more:
http://www.news.com.au/world/rescue...ne/story-e6frfl00-1225958765263#ixzz169geByhL
