Emergency crews in New Zealand have been unable to recover the bodies miners as the mine remains flooded with explosive methane gas.The miners, who had been trapped underground for more than five days, were declared dead on Wednesday afternoon after the second explosion ripped through the underground tunnels. An Australian mining expert has been called in to help recover the bodies of 29 miners killed last week at the Pike River coal mine.
The Australian mining expert who did not want to be identified, arrived on the west coast this afternoon to meet with recovery coordinators.Inspector Gary Knowles says the visitor is a recognized world authority on situations such as this.
He says the expert has been monitoring the situation closely from his Queensland home. Inspector Knowles said,”We have been speaking to him daily, He has been watching and reading.The 29 men who included two Australians, two Britons and a South African were trapped 2.5 kilometres in the mine by a gas explosion on November 19, 2010.
Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall said it could be weeks before the bodies are recovered as volatile gas levels remain dangerously high in the mine. “Police said there were no injuries when the fourth underground explosion rocked the Pike River Mine”on Sunday,The fourth blast demonstrates the ongoing volatility of the site.
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