A recovery team will re-enter Pike River Coal mine today
after making good progress yesterday.
Yesterday was the first time they have gone back into the
mine since a series of explosions starting on November 19
killed 29 men, trapping their bodies 2.5 kilometres
underground.
Mines Rescue Service general manager Trevor Watts said the
team would this morning review gas monitoring data which has
come out from the mine overnight to ensure no oxygen has got
into the mine and it was safe to re-enter.
"When our teams arrive on site they will continue the work
that they very successfully completed yesterday," Mr Watts
told Radio New Zealand.
"They will continue on with preparing the site for the
temporary seal.. and they will also be moving more equipment
into the mine," he said.
Statutory mine manager Steve Ellis told NZPA yesterday the
three teams, each wearing breathing gear and working in two
hour blocks, yesterday began setting up a new seal 168 metres
in from the entrance.
"It went very well, the conditions were favourable this
morning."
It took them a little longer to enter the mine than expected
because "of the fantastic job of concreting the doors up".
Mr Ellis said it was hoped the pumping of a compound like
expanding foam would start either late today or early
tomorrow.
They would then withdraw from the mine and monitor it for a
week or two.
Eventually a steel door would be installed in the seal and
the plan was then to remove the old seal at the mine
entrance, a shipping container embedded in concrete installed
just after the explosions.
The miners' families have been warned the rescue mission
would be difficult and could take up to two years.
Prime Minister John Key said the Government's view was when
it was safe to enter the mine "then that would be a welcome
thing".
"We understand the stress that those families have been
suffering and the very strong desire they have for recovery
of their loved ones.
"My view's always been we couldn't put at risk the lives of
those going to undertake that recovery effort, but that's a
matter for others to determine whether actually this is the
appropriate time.
"Clearly they feel it is and therefore we ultimately and
fully support them in doing that but I'm not in a position to
judge when it's safe to enter a mine or not."
Greymouth mayor Tony Kokshoorn said yesterday the plan to
re-enter the mine was a "real confidence booster" for
Greymouth.
"This is a big step forward, we've been waiting now with the
families for seven months and it's been a hard, hard seven
months.
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