Miners tragedy

99AUXR · 24-11-2010, 05:14 PM

Sad day for NZ as all 29 trap miners were killed due to a second massive explosion.

**DJM83** · 24-11-2010, 05:15 PM

Sad sad day for the families of these workers, my heart goes out to them all. Such a tragedy

Scott · 24-11-2010, 05:17 PM

At this stage it is only "thought" that the miners have been killed - I'm still holding out hope.

**DJM83** · 24-11-2010, 05:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GTP006

At this stage it is only "thought" that the miners have been killed - I'm still holding out hope.

Exactly although it doesnt look very promising, i really do hope that they are safe and can be rescued

**Mechan1k** · 24-11-2010, 05:17 PM

When did the 2nd explosion happen ... I saw something quickly about it this morning when i got into work ... but haven't had a chance to keep up with the news of it all.

05_ENFORCER · 24-11-2010, 05:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mechan1k

When did the 2nd explosion happen ... I saw something quickly about it this morning when i got into work ... but haven't had a chance to keep up with the news of it all.

http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/no-s...police-3909675

Grippy · 24-11-2010, 05:34 PM

Absolutely tragic news

Scott · 24-11-2010, 05:25 PM

I think 2:45pm local time.

Jason[98.EL] · 24-11-2010, 05:39 PM

hate to be the one to post this

All miners dead after second explosion: police

Quote:

All 29 miners trapped in the Pike River Coal Mine in New Zealand are dead after a second explosion, according to the leaders of the recovery operation.

The second blast, which happened at 12.37pm (AEDT), is believed to have been more powerful than the first and left no hope of survivors.

Pike River CEO Peter Whittall said he was watching live video of the mine when the second explosion occurred.

PHOTOS: Tragic end to mine search

"I was informed that there was large volumes of smoke coming out of the main shaft," he told a media briefing at 3.20pm (AEDT).

He said the second explosion appeared to be larger than the initial blast on Friday, which was captured on CCTV ... watch the video here

"I was able to see a large explosion coming from the mine portal similar to what I was able to show you the other day," he said, referring to the earlier footage.

"It was more significant, it was larger, it was stronger, it lasted about 30 seconds and it was not what we wanted to see."

The explosion would have left no survivors, Operation Pike commander Gary Knowles said at an earlier conference.

"It is our belief that no one has survived and everyone has perished," the police superintendent said.

"We had to break the news to the family and they are extremely distraught.

"I was at the mine myself when the explosion occurred. The blast was horrific. Just as severe as the first blast — and we are now moving into a recovery mode."

The cause of the second explosion in the mine, near Greymouth in the country's South Island, has not yet been revealed.

According to Sky News, the families of the missing miners had been optimistic that the conference with Supt Knowles was called to bring good news.

An ambulance arrived after the meeting to offer assistance to the family members.

Mr Whittall said the second blast showed the dangers of sending rescuers into the mine prematurely.

"[We told the families that] the rescue teams would be putting their lives gravely at risk," he said.

"And while we were there exactly what we said would happen, happened."

Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn broke down as he spoke to reporters after the briefing.

"This is the west coast's darkest hour," he said.

Earlier today an army bomb disposal robot had crawled 1km into the tunnel and found a miner's helmet with its fixed light still glowing.

But the drilling team also encountered high levels of toxic and potentially explosive gases when they broke into a narrow shaft.

Prior to the second blast officials had been downplaying chances of pulling the men alive from a network of tunnels some 2km deep in the side of a mountain.

Rescuers had two reconnaissance robots at the mine, and were scheduled to take delivery of a third robot from Western Australia today.

The third robot had the capacity to explore deep enough into the mine to potentially spot the miners, officials said.

It was not clear whether the third robot had been delivered by the time of the second blast.

my heart goes out to the families of the 29 men that are now lost pic of them below

flappist · 24-11-2010, 05:43 PM

One of them, Willy Joynson, was a local up here.
I used to play football with and against him at school.
It really is a small world.

Edit: I misread the thread.

All my hopes that they all get out alive.

Sam_Boss260 · 24-11-2010, 06:07 PM

RIP to the miners....

fmc351 · 24-11-2010, 06:10 PM

It doesnt look good. Listening to a mine expert he was saying they would have died before the blast because of the high CO2 readings. This second blast was reported to be much larger than the first. I noticed on the footage that the massive air system was laying on the ground, ripped from its mounts. The mayor mentioned that it blew the top off, so Im assuming thats what he meant.

The families must be going through hell, swinging between clinging to an irrational hope, and trying to accept what deep down they already know.

Tragic just doesnt seem to say it.

**ebxr8240** · 24-11-2010, 08:25 PM

Sad very sad.. After other miners have survived in other parts of the world..

Cam · 24-11-2010, 08:29 PM

Very sad day, just happened to walk out of a training seminar at the time the news broke, gave me shivers.

Very very sad, RIP

99AUXR · 24-11-2010, 09:51 PM

yea my cousin died,
he was 23

adelaidecrows02 · 24-11-2010, 10:06 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

yea my cousin died,
he was 23

Geez mate, I am so sorry.

And to the rest of the families, work colleagues and others involved, my family sends all their sympathies and thoughts........

**DJM83** · 24-11-2010, 11:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

yea my cousin died,
he was 23

Thought are with you and your family mate, and all the other families of the victims.
Seems is these guys cannot be rescued it will be an even more painfull expierance not knowing the outcome for the friends and families

Jason[98.EL] · 25-11-2010, 09:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

yea my cousin died,
he was 23

Sorry to hear mate

my family passes on our condolences to you and your family

may he rest in peace

Jason & Helen

GT0132 · 25-11-2010, 10:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

yea my cousin died,
he was 23

Sorry to hear that 99AUXR....My thoughts are with you, your family and my other fellow Kiwis back home during this terrible time in our history.

Scott · 24-11-2010, 09:56 PM

Sorry to hear mate, thoughts are with you and your family.

blueluvr · 24-11-2010, 10:38 PM

99AUXR, very sorry to hear of your cousin. My thoughts to you and your family. One of the 2 aussie miners had worked with one of the guys I work with now.

I have only recently started working at an underground coal mine doing weekend maintenance, and the mood is a very sombre one. I'm a relative noob working in the pit, but the first thing I noticed when I started it is one big family down there, one of the first things a workmate said to me was "we all look out for each other down here".

Another thing I have learned very quickly, they ARE inherently extremely dangerous places to be at the best of times, methane goes hand in hand with underground coal mines, along with CO, CO2 and a heap of other nastys. One needs to understand in so called "gassy mines", which I believe this one was, and the one I work at is also, methane literally vents from the coal. If there is water on the ground, which there is near the face due to the cutting process, it bubbles out of the ground.

I also feel for the hard time the rescuers have been getting due to not going in there. People must realise there was a very good reason they didn't go in. I bet there were a lot of guys willing to go in anyway and risk their lives, but someone has to give them the go ahead, it's a big call sending in guys you know are probably not going to get back out at all, let alone with a successful rescue.

It wasn't a simple case of just racing in and dragging them out. This was not a collapse like the Chillean one where "all" they had to do was dig them out. That was simply rock and dirt between them and outside world. Here was a mine that had no ventilation due to the first explosion, building methane levels that were off the clock, (it only takes 2.5% methane concentration to have an explosive environment) and every thing inside that mine is basically a fuel ready to ignite. The walls, roof, and floor is all coal.

The biggest fear they had was a hot spot of coal from the first explosion sitting there just waiting for the right concentration of gasses to ignite......which is what I assume has happened to cause the second fire. As bad as it is to lose 29 good men, how worse would it also be to lose another group of rescuers when in all reality, the miners highly likely had already succumbed to high CO and methane. One can have small comfort in that hopefully the guys went to sleep due to asphyxiation.

Sorry for my rant, but this has really hit home, and listening to journos on the TV, who have no idea whinging that they didn't go straight in shows they have absolutely no idea of the environment of what a working coal mine is like, let alone one that has had a huge explosion put through it.

RIP guys.

adelaidecrows02 · 24-11-2010, 10:47 PM

Definately not a rant, this is a very good post.

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueluvr

99AUXR, very sorry to hear of your cousin. My thoughts to you and your family. One of the 2 aussie miners had worked with one of the guys I work with now.

I have only recently started working at an underground coal mine doing weekend maintenance, and the mood is a very sombre one. I'm a relative noob working in the pit, but the first thing I noticed when I started it is one big family down there, one of the first things a workmate said to me was "we all look out for each other down here".

Another thing I have learned very quickly, they ARE inherently extremely dangerous places to be at the best of times, methane goes hand in hand with underground coal mines, along with CO, CO2 and a heap of other nastys. One needs to understand in so called "gassy mines", which I believe this one was, and the one I work at is also, methane literally vents from the coal. If there is water on the ground, which there is near the face due to the cutting process, it bubbles out of the ground.

I also feel for the hard time the rescuers have been getting due to not going in there. People must realise there was a very good reason they didn't go in. I bet there were a lot of guys willing to go in anyway and risk their lives, but someone has to give them the go ahead, it's a big call sending in guys you know are probably not going to get back out at all, let alone with a successful rescue.

It wasn't a simple case of just racing in and dragging them out. This was not a collapse like the Chillean one where "all" they had to do was dig them out. That was simply rock and dirt between them and outside world. Here was a mine that had no ventilation due to the first explosion, building methane levels that were off the clock, (it only takes 2.5% methane concentration to have an explosive environment) and every thing inside that mine is basically a fuel ready to ignite. The walls, roof, and floor is all coal.

The biggest fear they had was a hot spot of coal from the first explosion sitting there just waiting for the right concentration of gasses to ignite......which is what I assume has happened to cause the second fire. As bad as it is to lose 29 good men, how worse would it also be to lose another group of rescuers when in all reality, the miners highly likely had already succumbed to high CO and methane. One can have small comfort in that hopefully the guys went to sleep due to asphyxiation.

Sorry for my rant, but this has really hit home, and listening to journos on the TV, who have no idea whinging that they didn't go straight in shows they have absolutely no idea of the environment of what a working coal mine is like, let alone one that has had a huge explosion put through it.

RIP guys.

**SSD-85** · 24-11-2010, 10:09 PM

My thoughts are with the families that are suffering tonight. I can only hope that not all is lost.

mrghia · 24-11-2010, 10:10 PM

they said there was a 17 yo and it was his first trip down there its so sad.

ryanstev · 24-11-2010, 10:16 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrghia

they said there was a 17 yo and it was his first trip down there its so sad.

He was due to start 3 days from then, but he was so excited that he was finally old enough to go in there, as he had turned 17 the day before, that he convinced them to let him go in for a visit.

XRFutura · 24-11-2010, 10:54 PM

I can't even start to imagine what the families are going through right now. My thoughts are with all the families, RIP.

pottery beige · 24-11-2010, 11:12 PM

Having a beer for these guys tonight.. words cant describe working underground its another world with plenty ready to grab you.. thoughts for all the families and loved ones.. Rest easy brothers.

GTP 290 · 24-11-2010, 11:32 PM

Until the bodies of the miners are found I will never give up hope. For every person that believes in their hearts that these miners are dead then they may as well be. They are obviously already being forgotten about if people have given up on their lives. I can only wish the way I feel on other people to not give up.

blueluvr · 25-11-2010, 12:48 AM

Quote:

They are obviously already being forgotten about if people have given up on their lives

GTP, I know what you are saying, really I do, but that's a bit harsh. These blokes have been through 2 explosions, and day after day of continuous exposure to toxic gas. The two guys who escaped were blown 15 odd meters and they were more than a KM away from the main explosion further in. They weren't simply trapped in an underground cave like the Chillian guys. They aren't in an area that has fresh air. When they drilled through the other day they were blasted with a pressure burst of methane gas and a bag of other nasty gasses. Whilst you can never give up hope, in reality, people just can't survive in conditions like that for even a few hours, let alone days on end. I only hope some good comes of this in either safety reviews, redesigns of certain things or whatever, but still the job is what it is, a bloody dangerous one.

fmc351 · 25-11-2010, 08:54 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blueluvr

GTP, I know what you are saying, really I do, but that's a bit harsh. These blokes have been through 2 explosions, and day after day of continuous exposure to toxic gas. The two guys who escaped were blown 15 odd meters and they were more than a KM away from the main explosion further in. They weren't simply trapped in an underground cave like the Chillian guys. They aren't in an area that has fresh air. When they drilled through the other day they were blasted with a pressure burst of methane gas and a bag of other nasty gasses. Whilst you can never give up hope, in reality, people just can't survive in conditions like that for even a few hours, let alone days on end. I only hope some good comes of this in either safety reviews, redesigns of certain things or whatever, but still the job is what it is, a bloody dangerous one.

Theres is also a real possibility they will never be able to recover them. They were saying they may have to entomb them where they are. It could be that unstable.

Explosions like this are worst case scenarios.