Mine probe hopes rise

CREWS in New Zealand have re-entered an underground coal mine for the first time since a methane explosion killed 29 workers more than eight years ago, raising hopes for family members that they might find bodies and evidence that leads to criminal charges.

Anna Osborne, whose husband Milton was killed in the explosion at Pike River, said yesterday the families had been fighting for this day. Two workers escaped the mine after the deadly November 2010 explosion. After several more explosions, the mine was sealed.

New Zealand’s previous conservative government concluded the mine remained too unsafe to re-enter. But the liberal government elected in 2017 allowed the process to proceed.