The agony of families of 29 men trapped underground after
an explosion at a New Zealand mine is set to continue as delays plague the
rescue effort.
Toxic gas levels have kept rescuers out, and a test shaft
is being drilled through 150m (500 feet) of rock.
The only relief for helpless families on Sunday was being
taken to view the mine, reports the BBC’s Greg Ward.
No contact has been made with the miners since Friday’s
blast at the mine near Greymouth on the South Island.
Rescuers say they have “no idea” how long it
might take to reach the men, but they insist they remain positive about finding
them alive.
The missing workers, aged from 17 to 62, include 24 New
Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons and a South African.
Tearful families members were taken on a tour of the site
of the Pike River coal mine on Sunday, in an effort to help them understand the
dangers keeping rescuers at bay and to show them the rescue drills that are
under way in preparation for an eventual operation.
“There was a lot of emotion on the site… there
were some very poignant things up there for them, cars still parked and other
things, and they were very emotional,” said Pike River chief executive
Peter Whittall, according to AFP news agency.
He said that – 48 hours after the men were trapped – the
families were “starting to be very concerned and want as much information
as they can”.
Laurie Drew, whose 21-year-old son Zen is among those
trapped, told New Zealand’s TV3 network that seeing a board with the men’s name
tags missing was “hard”.
There were packed Sunday services at churches close to
the mine as locals prayed together for the men to be found alive.
Tests at the mine show there are still a dangerous level
of poisonous or potentially explosive gases in the mine, including carbon
monoxide and methane, which rescue officials say make it unsafe for crews
underground.
Now a new 6in-wide (15cm) shaft is being drilled from the
mountain above into the centre of the mine to test gas levels there, and
possibly put a camera down.
It will have to pass through 500 feet (150m) of rock in
an operation likely to take 16-24 hours, adding to the families’ agonising
wait.
But Superintendent Gary Knowles, the head of the rescue
effort at the Pike River coal mine said he remained positive about finding them
alive.
Supt Knowles said there was no “quick fix”, but
that rescue workers were doing all they could to find those missing.
Mr Knowles denied suggestions rescue teams were showing a
lack of urgency because they believed the chances of finding the miners alive
were low.
“I find that really repugnant,” he told a news
conference on Sunday.
“We’re talking about people’s lives here… My
decision is made based on safety and what experts are saying.”
The authorities are facing increasing pressure to clear
the way for rescue teams to enter the mine, our correspondent says.
But they have repeatedly stressed the need to wait until
it is safe – their great fear is that searching the mine could spark a second
explosion, he says.
Each miner carried 30 minutes of oxygen, enough to reach
oxygen stores in the mine that would allow them to survive for several days.
Fresh air is also being pumped into the mine through a
shaft.
The men would have been carrying flasks of water, reports
say, but there is no food underground.
The explosion at the mine, near the coastal town of
Greymouth, is thought to have happened at around 1530 (0230 GMT) on Friday.
Two workers who walked out of the mine have been treated
in hospital for moderate injuries but have since been discharged.
One of them, coal cutter Russell Smith, told New
Zealand’s TV3 network he had been late for work and so was not as far into the
mine when the explosion hit.
Nevertheless, he said he had been knocked unconscious by
the strength of the blast.
He said he saw a flash and then felt a series of
shockwaves come down the mine.
“My hat was … torn off me,” he told TV3.
“I remember struggling for breath.”
He said he had been very lucky.
“I could have been blown to bits,” he said.
He was found about 15m away from his vehicle and together
with Daniel Rockhouse eventually found his way out of the mine.
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