Twenty-seven miners are missing after an explosion at a
remote coal mine on New Zealand’s South Island.
The mayor of Greymouth, 46km (29 miles) south-west of the Pike River mine,
said the situation was “pretty serious” but that rescuers were on hand.
However, concerns about the possibility of another
explosion have delayed attempts to enter the mineshaft.
There has so far been no contact with the missing
miners, whose friends and relatives have gathered at the scene.
Earlier, two workers walked out of the mine with
moderate injuries.
‘Charred trees’
The explosion at the Pike River mine is believed to
have happened at around 1530 local time (0230 GMT).
An electrician went into the mine at 1550 to
investigate a power failure, and 1,500m (4,920ft) into the shaft he discovered
the driver of a loader who had been blown off his machine. He then raised the
alarm.
They and one other miner later
emerged safely from the mine and told officials that three others were also
making their way to the surface. They came out sometime later.
The operator of the mine, Pike River Coal, said that
27 workers remained unaccounted for – 15 of its staff and 12 local
contractors.
Its chief executive, Peter Whittall, also denied that
a body had been found.
“I’ve not had any reports of that at all,” he said.
“We’ve had two miners who’ve walked out of the mine and they’re currently being
spoken to and treated on the surface. We’ve had no communication with anyone
else underground at this stage.”
The two miners who emerged earlier had moderate
injuries, Mr Whittall said. They are being treated at the hospital in
Greymouth.
Mining experts said it could have been a methane gas
explosion, a coal dust explosion, or a combination of both.
Television footage showed charred trees and light
smoke billowing from the top of the mineshaft. A nearby cabin had been blown
away, suggesting there had been a powerful blast.
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