Prof Craw himself spends about five days a year underground in various mines through his scientific research, which focuses mainly on finding gold and on smart ways of avoiding any adverse downstream environmental effects from mining.
He empathises with the mine organisers, who had gone to a great deal of trouble and cost to create a huge, technologically "state of the art" ventilation shaft, reportedly about 110m-long, to provide ventilation for the Pike River mine.
The mine itself has been bored under the Paparoa National Park, travelling through a nearly horizontal shaft about 2.3km long, from an entranceway outside the park.
"I feel for them. They've just spent all that huge expense and things haven't gone their way," Prof Craw said in an interview.
The mine itself was one of the most technologically advanced in the country, and had been required to meet high environmental standards within the park.
"It was state of the art ... they put everything underground."
The only thing visible above ground in the national park was the top of the ventilation shaft.
He noted that access to the top of the ventilation shaft was by helicopter only, even during construction, as conservation restrictions did not allow roads to be built to reach this point.
He was well aware that being far underground was a sobering experience.
"There's hundreds of metres of dirt on top of you. It's obviously a very serious situation.
"These things are part of people's everyday life when you mine underground.
"I really feel for them."
In such mines good ventilation was "absolutely critical, which is why people put so much effort into it".
Through the ventilation system fresh air is pumped into the mine and unwanted gases expelled.
"They need to keep the air fresh and get rid of anything nasty."
Asked what could have caused the reported large explosion in the mine, Prof Craw said this was still unclear.
Methane, a type of natural gas, often found with coal, was a potential source of explosion.
He noted fine coal dust mixed with air was also potentially explosive if there was a spark.
A mishap with explosives used in the mine was another potential cause.
"We're going to have to wait 24 hours or more to see what's going on."
