August 2013: The board of Solid Energy signs off a plan to re-enter the tunnel. What more can they do? Between the whole world and whatever evidence of what happened is down there. The Pike River Coal Company was formed in 1982 to hold exploration rights; in 1988 the company was bought by New Zealand Oil and Gas Ltd. Now I don't. The recovery of the loader went smoothly and to plan, Pattinson said. "I get that people are sick of hearing about it. “Daniel was concerned about how Russell was, seeing it come out. Two Pike River fathers say they’ve uncovered evidence that shows people may have survived the first and even the second explosion at the West … What's to say some or all of these men didn't do exactly as I did: survive the initial blast and attempt to make their way out, pass out just like I did, but not not regain consciousness? But it didn't. “While nearly 1600 metres of the 2300m drift has now been recovered, there is still around 600 metres of roadway in the Pit Bottom in Stone area that will also need to be explored and examined when that area is reached. That's the way to look at it' * Two more robots recovered from Pike River mine * Pike River victims' families enter mine drift. But nobody was held to account. The Pike River Recovery Agency (PRRA) first re-entered the mine in May, after minister Andrew Little said the operation needed to take place to find … I feel closer to my darling son Ben, still lying in that mine just up the road. NEW ZEALAND Pike manager more concerned with rescuers' safety. “It’s an intact crime scene, and we were stopped from having it examined for years based on claims that were just not true.”. Daniel Rockhouse, 24, lost his younger brother Ben in the Pike River coal mine on November 19 when an explosion killed 29 men. A minute of silence, heavy with emotion, has been observed in Parliament to honour the 29 men who lost their lives in Pike River mine 10 years ago. “Things have been progressing very well, and we’re hopeful that we might reach Pit Bottom in Stone by the end of August. 7 Sep, 2011 5:30am. Through the day we sit and talk with the media, with people on facebook and email, and with the many supporters who make the journey up in person. "If I was allowed to, I would walk up that mine right now just to find some answers.". But protesters at the gate to the mine say the occupation will not end until John Key fulfills his promise to do everything he can to recover the bodies. He calls Solid Energy's plans to permanently plug the mine with concrete "disgusting". Pike River Coal Ltd was a mining company listed on the New Zealand and Australian stock exchanges. That the government keeps faith with them. A number of safety failings at Pike River are highlighted by witnesses. Specialist equipment is flown in to help rescue the miners, but they cannot be reached for days because of high gas levels. It's about all of our families, and standing with us is about standing as Kiwis. We've got a caravan and a couple of BBQs, people have been bringing us food and aroha, occasionally the plainclothes cop car swings by to keep an eye on us. On Friday 19 November 2010 at 3:45pm there was an underground explosion at the Pike River coal mine. Rockhouse’s loader will be the next large item recovered from the drift, expected at the end of August. As teams prepare for entry to Pike River, Daniel Rockhouse tells the story that changed his life. I was 1.8km in the mine when it blew. ", November 13: The final sealing off of the mine, planned for this week, is delayed for a week to allow families to mark the sixth anniversary of the disaster. … At night it's quiet except for the sound of the wind and the bush. Nick Smith's announcement to delay the final closure of the mine was bittersweet for Daniel Rockhouse. The gases inside the mine remain volatile, preventing recovery of the bodies. When Paparoa National Park was created in 1987, the area of the Pike River coalfield was deliberately excluded from it. "If the advice that they now seem to be receiving is accurate ... then what possible impediment is there to go and check that out. 5 minutes to read . 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It sucks, but I don't choose to dream about it.". Smiles on families faces at moment of Pike River … The mine was sold to Solid Energy, and we thought that in buying the mine the Government would finally keep its leader's word. Smith has described the recovered loader as “a lost friend” that saved his life. He was a coal cutter at Pike River and was late for work the day of the explosion. Pike River father Bernie Monk, who is involved in a private investigation into the disaster said he wanted the evidence handled with extreme care in the hopes of a successful criminal prosecution. As of July 2020 the recovery team has penetrated over 1.4 km into the mine and recovered four original rescue robots previously lost. Nothing changed. He's worked in mines underground in Australia and Canada. A spokesman for Key says: "At the time the Prime Minister said the Government would do everything it reasonably could to try and find a safe re-entry method, to allow the recovery of the bodies of the 29 men and to fulfil the wishes of their families, and it has absolutely done that. Pike River Mine underground mine workers withdrawn after the presence of carcinogens found. Loader driven by Russell Smith recovered Date published: 6 August 2020 The loader being driven by survivor Russell Smith when the Pike River Mine exploded in 2010 was recovered from 1581m up the drift on Tuesday 4 August 2020. Police have been accused of endangering potential survivors and jeopardising a body recovery operation by refusing to seal the explosion-hit Pike River mine. 6:30. Supplied / Pike River Recovery A. Smith said the loader took the force of the blast as he hunkered down behind the door of the vehicle when the explosion and debris ripped past him. April 18, 2019. People have to realise that the rock fall did not happen until many days after the first blast and there was no fire until the third and fourth explosions days later. I sat in a room in 2011 - just before the election - and listened to Prime Minister John Key say, "I'm here to give you absolute reassurance, we're committed to getting the boys out, and nothing's going to change that.". Pike River survivor Russell Smith and Pike River family members Sonya Rockhouse and Anna Osborne talk about an important milestone in the drift (mine access tunnel) recovery. 18:00 Gary Knowles, the District Commander and the man in charge, says police will resume air testing in the morning. Their names and details appear on pages 4–5 (see: Pike River mine memorial). We lived a pretty normal life - a pretty normal Kiwi life. And I used to think that if the Prime Minister made a promise about something as important about this it would be kept. October 2014: Solid Energy delays its decision on whether to go ahead with re-entering the Pike River Mine drift. He'd like to sit down in a room with John Key. Mining Editor. September 29, 2010: Peter Whittall sacked as chief of Pike River Coal. November 26, 2010: A third, smaller explosion is followed by a fourth explosion which ignites coal in the mine. May 31, 2012: Families told by mining experts that bodies will probably never be recovered. I'm not looking for sympathy. The sandflies are appreciating our company. Pike River Coal says it will not fight the 10 charges it faces. We brought our own international experts in, and they agreed it was safe to enter. He thinks about Pike River on an hourly basis. “We were told that it was too dangerous to go into the drift, that there was nothing but ash and that we should put it behind us. The Pike River directors, NZOG and the Crown have a strong moral obligation to ensure the $3.41 million court order is paid to the families of the 29 deceased miners and the two survivors. November 19, 2010: Methane ignites, causing an explosion in the mine. The Pike River Recovery Agency has recovered a loader last driven by survivor Russell Smith from 1581m up the Pike River mine drift. The loader’s removal was an important milestone in the recovery efforts, which he hoped would lead to answers, accountability and justice. It was found 1563 metres up the 2.3-kilometre drift access tunnel. July 2013: Pike River Coal is ordered to pay $3.41 million in reparation - $110,000 for the family of each victim and survivors. As on any workday, men entered and left the mine at different times. Pike River Coal chairman John Dow repeats police comments on the prospect of a rescue that night, saying it was unlikely to happen. The loader driven by one of the two men to survive the Pike River Mine explosion 10 years ago was pulled out of the drift this week by the Pike River Recovery Agency underground team. He's like answers, closure, even an apology. Prime Minister John Key pledged $10 million for the re-entry if the plan was safe, technically feasible and financially credible. It sits about 1900m up the tunnel, but the Australian-based underground miner won’t be back to see its removal. Smith was also delayed entering the mine on the day because the loader was being serviced. Now we know that’s false. "[The families] have tried everything they can to get everyone out. Families of the victims respond furiously to the penalty. Although initially overcome, Daniel Rockhouse rescued himself and his colleague Russell Smith. A Pike River survivor says politicians need to put aside arguments about leaked video from the mine and just get the 29 bodies out. 28 July 2020 progress update "Mum's so determined that she's not going to give up until the bitter end. Chance played a big part in deciding the 31 men who were underground at 3.44 p.m. when an explosion disabled power and communication into the mine. However, there are a lot of unknowns between then and now.”. "I think they've just tried to ease us into it by delaying it and pushing it back and back year after year. Pike River Recovery Agency chief operating officer Dinghy Pattinson said the next big area of interest was Pit Bottom in Stone, where Daniel Rockhouse’s loader sits, as well as electrical equipment, which may hold vital evidence about the cause of the explosions. People need to understand that the potential to reclaim the drift up to the rock fall safely is very real - what these protesters are saying is that there is potentially evidence in the drift that could lead to explaining to us all what actually caused the first blast. Inside Pike River: Interactive graphic shows extent of disaster Russell Smith suffocated in the first explosion, only to survive - dragged out of the mine by Daniel Rockhouse. December 13, 2010: Pike River Coal placed in receivership. Experts and mine rescue are saying it's safe enough to reclaim the drift so why not let us see what we can find? Nothing happened. READ MORE: * Pike River survivor five years on: 'I'm alive. He was driving up the drift in the loader when he was nearly killed by the force of the blast. February 26, 2013: After a five hour meeting of 21 global mining experts, including representatives of the Government's newly-formed High Hazards Unit, Solid Energy, Mines Rescue, and consultants hired by Pike families, families are left confident bodies could be recovered. One of only two men to survive the Pike River mine disaster is working in a Queensland mine and has now shared his tragic story of how the disaster tore apart his family. It's hard for me to see it on the news because it hasn't been resolved.". One of the things we need is an explosives expert underground. Why wouldn't you give it a go?". 6 Sep, 2011 7:38pm. "The expert advice remains that the mine is unsafe to enter and we cannot risk further lives by allowing entry when it is not safe to do so.". There is no doubt in Daniel Rockhouse's mind that he and Russell Smith were not the only two who survived the first Pike River mine explosion. 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