New Zealand mine: `No survivors` after second blast
Baku, November 24 (AZERTAC). All 29 miners trapped in a New Zealand coal pit since Friday are believed to be dead after a second explosion.
Police Supt Gary Knowles said there was no hope that anyone could have survived the "massive" underground blast at the Pike River mine on South Island. Prime Minister John Key said the loss of life was a national tragedy. There had been no contact with the men - 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons and a South African - since the first explosion on Friday. The Britons were Peter Rodger, 40, and Malcolm Campbell, 25, who were both originally from Scotland.
"Many British citizens have made their home in New Zealand and the loss of Mr Rodger, Mr Campbell and their colleagues will have touched the hearts of many in the UK," said UK Foreign Secretary William Hague. Supt Knowles, who lead the rescue operation, said there had been another explosion at 1437 on Wednesday inside the mine. "It is our belief that no-one has survived and everyone will have perished," he told reporters. "I was at the mine myself when this actually occurred and the blast was horrific, just as severe as the first blast and we`re currently now moving into recovery phase.
"This is one of the most tragic things I have had to do as a police officer." Rescuers had been preparing to go into the mine on Wednesday, but information suggested the levels of methane gas were too high. Shortly afterwards, the second explosion happened. It was larger and stronger than Friday`s blast, and lasted about 30 seconds, officials said. The chief executive of Pike River Coal, Peter Whittall, said it would make every effort to retrieve the bodies of the men, aged between 17 and 62.
"We want our boys back and we want to get them out," he told reporters. Mr Whittall said the families were ''absolutely devastated by the news". ''They had all held out hope that their son, their brother would be the lucky one,'' he said, before adding with tears welling up in his eyes: "I'm unlikely to see my workmates again." Family members wept, shouted and fell to the floor after hearing the news, Grey District mayor Tony Kokshoorn said. "People shouted out in anger, they are sickened by the whole thing. A lot of them felt misled," he added. "It`s unbelievable. This is the West Coast`s darkest hour. It doesn`t get worse than this."
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