New comment from the former head of Mine Safety show the Government’s plans to permanently seal the Pike River mine will cost the families of the dead miners their last chance to recover remains and evidence.
In an email to the Pike River families, the Government’s own former Chief Inspector of Mines has stated that re-entering the first section of the mine, the drift, “could be done quickly, safely and within the budget originally allocated.”
Sonya Rockhouse, whose son Ben died in the mine, says the email shows that re-entry is possible and that the permanent sealing must be stopped.
“They’re rushing to fill the drift up with concrete so they can walk away from us and from John Key’s broken promise to us to get our boys out.
“The Government needs to work with us to put a re-entry plan in place so that we can recover any remains that are down there and find any evidence of what caused this disaster.
“It makes me feel sick to think that we have a chance to get answers, but it’s being taken from us by a Government determined to put hundreds of tonnes of concrete between us and justice.
“There’s no reason to seal it off. Tony Forster sees no reason not to re-enter. How hard is it for John Key to just keep his promise and let us get our boys out?”
If this is the state of New Zealands mines safety then all mining minerals and explorations activities by rights should stop immediately.
It’s a statutory responsibility to clear all refuge chambers and that’s expressed during inductions. The standard speech says, make sure you are aware of all refuge chambers so you know which way to go in case of emergency and the surface crew will get to you.
Mines resume are trained to enter in these types of conditions, they’ve got the closed circuit breathing apparatus. Technically they’re isn’t an issue. You can see the lawyers hands all over this, the lawyers have obviously said if you go in you’ll have to shut down all mines.
Indeed. Those willing to take the risk (and having been well informed upon what the nature of the risk is, and having made mature, well-considered judgment) should be allowed to enter. Although I would fear that little may, at this time, remain, given the explosion creating, in effect, a crematorium. Only fire-resistant material (name badges?) might enable identification of remains. It is a very sad scenario. If it had been my son, I would be torn between wanting to get whatever tiny remnant there may have been of him, versus a resignation that he now lies in a tomb, to be undisturbed.
“There’s no reason to seal it off. Tony Forster sees no reason not to re-enter. How hard is it for John Key to just keep his promise and let us get our boys out?”
Our family says,- “if Key’s family member was trapped in the mine would Key request the mine re-opened and cover his family member”?
Yes poor buggars they were promised by JK he would do everything he could to get them out and once again he hasn’t delivered on his promise. He has given these people false hope, shame on him. We should have one last look before we seal that mine permanently. The government and the power company don’t want anyone to go in that mine, why is that, they say it is too dangerous how do they know this they are not mine experts. Also I don’t believe the Pike River Mine will be sealed permanently it will be sold later and mined with our men lying in there. Our government thinks people are stupid they think the interest or the people will wavier and they will forget over time. But they won’t and neither would I if one of my loved ones was in that mine. No one has been held responsible this is not good enough 28 of our men lying in the mine they worked in and who got of killing these men.
The good people of Kaikoura and environs must be shitting themselves at John Key’s promise to do everything he can to get them back up and running.
If it has the same value and meaning as his promise to the families of the Pike River dead, they should be worried. It would seem to be an empty promise.
Why is the Government being so bloody-minded about this mine?
You have to ask yourself what it is inside the mine that they are so desperate to hide. Maybe that is the approach those of us who support these families should take…
Whilst supporting the mine re-entry, I have to be honest that I sincerely doubt after this time they are going to find any physical remains to bring out.
Just the bodies have had three years of unchallenged decomposition time, plus whatever damage the blast did to their bodies.
For me it always seemed obvious why they didn’t want to go in: they know there is a real chance the miners WEREN’T all instantly killed and thus hypothetically could have been rescued. This will be patently obvious from where the bodies are located and how the bodies are positioned (e.g. sitting up against a wall etc). The negative fallout from this would be a media shit storm, and so just burying the evidence permanently is (for them) the ONLY logical option.
I totally agree Nitrium. Having myself worked underground many years ago,it has always worried me that after the powers that be put a country cop in charge of a mine rescue, they now seem to accept any reason for not entering the drift and discovering what actually happened.
GAP
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