Miners training in forensic work for Pike River re-entry

Miners are being trained by police for forensic work involved in the re-entry of the West Coast’s Pike River mine drift.

The Pike River Recovery Agency and police both confirmed the training is happening on the West Coast this week but declined to say whether the training is on how to avoid contaminating evidence or how to handle potential evidence in the mine drift (access tunnel).

Police have said they will enter the mine once they know it is safe and discussions with experts awere continuing.

Stuff understands an independent risk assessment commissioned by police raised concerns about the risk to staff underground.

Twenty-nine men died in a series of explosions at the West Coast mine, north of Greymouth, on November 19, 2010.

The agency is preparing to re-enter the mine’s drift in an attempt to recover any evidence or bodies.

An agency spokeswoman said those involved in the training would speak to media today.

‘‘There will be a short stand-up about the forensic training with agency chief executive Dave Gawn, chief operating officer Dinghy Pattinson, New Zealand Police Assistant Commissioner Tusha Penny and Family Reference Group chair Anna Osborne,’’ she said.

Bernie Monk, whose son Michael died in the mine blast, said the families’ expert and former chief mines inspector Tony Forster, was attending the training.

He would be among the first to re-enter the mine drift. He understood the re-entry team would go through the 2300-metre access tunnel first and, if evidence or remains were found, they would retreat to allow police forensic experts to recover whatever was there.