Two more robots pulled out of Pike
Two robots have been recovered this week from the tunnel that leads to the Pike River Mine.
The discovery comes just a few weeks after a military robot was found, sparking hope among loved ones of killed miners that the recovery operation will provide answers about what happened.
The horror explosion in 2010 claimed the lives of 29 miners and led to a nearly decade-long fight by family members to re-enter the mine.
A second army robot recovered 944m up the 2.3km drift access tunnel this week is a Wheelbarrow Revolution MK8, which went in as part of the recovery operation at the time after the first explosion but before a second explosion in 2010.
The robot is about 1m high by 65cm wide and weighs 290kg.
The other robot recovered on Tuesday was 953m up the drift and belonged to Water Corporation. That robot went into the mine after the explosions. It is about 1.3m high, 1m wide, and 2.4m long, weighing 1200kg. It carried in a smaller robot which made its way further up the tunnel and is expected to be recovered this month.
The first of the army robots was recovered three weeks ago at 759m, and a Water Corp robot recovered before that 532m into the drift.
All items recovered are handed to the police forensics team on site.
Anna Osborne, whose husband Milton died in the explosion, said after the first military robot was discovered its recovery was proof the re-entry was working. “For years we were told that the drift was too dangerous to enter. This shows that we can get in and we can get evidence out.”