Pike River mine reclamation team hits bottom of ‘critical part’ stone pit

By RNZ

The team reclaiming the Pike River Mine has reached the area that offers the best chance of finding clues as to what caused the 2010 explosion.

Known as the Pit Bottom in Stone, the 600m network of tunnels, on either side of the entrance tunnel, contains electrical equipment and the loader driven by a worker to escape alive.

A team of six, including Pike River Recovery Agency Operations Director Dinghy Pattinson, arrived in the area this afternoon.

Pattinson said the tunnels would not be examined by a coroner for several weeks.

Meanwhile, a team will continue to reclaim the last 350m of the entrance tunnel before a seal that separates the tunnel from the main mine works.

Pike River families have welcomed the milestone of recovery.

Pike River’s widow, Anna Osborne, who is also president of the Family Reference Group, said the recovery of Pit Bottom in Stone needed strong scrutiny.

“Families should know that the scene examination will be carried out by the best experts, using the right equipment and knowledge.

“This is an absolutely critical part of recovery and we are being very clear with the police and the recovery agency that it must be a focused effort and that there must be transparency to ensure that families can trust the outcome.”

Sonya Rockhouse, who lost her son Ben in the blast, said reaching Pit Bottom in Stone had been an important goal for years.

“This is the only place that is likely to house crucial evidence for justice to be served.

“There are many conspiracy theories circulating about Pike that have caused family members a lot of pain. This is the opportunity to get a clear proof of the truth.”

Rowdy Durbridge, who worked in Pike River and whose son Dan was killed in the blast, said justice is coming.

“It’s been a long and difficult journey here, but I feel closer and closer to the end. If you had asked me six years ago when we had all given up hope of getting to this point, I would have cried. Now we are here.”

– RNZ