New Zealand Coal Mine explosion leaves 27 trapped. - Polidicks

[quote]Distraught families converged on the site of a West Coast mining explosion as rescuers scrambled late last night to search for staff trapped up to 1500 metres below. An anxious vigil was under way at the Pike River coalmine's processing plant, while other relatives headed to the local hospital. Specialist mine rescue teams, 20 ambulances and three rescue helicopters headed to the plant at Atarau, halfway between Greymouth and Reefton. Frustrated rescuers were unable to enter the mine late last night amid fears about dangerous air quality. "They're itching to get in there and start looking for other people and a bit frustrated at having to stand and wait," a police spokeswoman said. Greymouth mayor Tony Kokshoorn said it could take days before it was safe enough for specialist rescue teams to re-enter the mine. "We are holding on to hope. Look at Chile, all those miners were trapped and they all came out alive." Thirty-six name tags on the board outside the mine led to initial fears that all those men were trapped up to 1500 metres underground. However, Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall said last night that there were 29 miners underground during the explosion, and at least 27 were unaccounted for last night – 15 employees and 12 contractors. Mr Kokshoorn revealed one of the missing miners is one of his councillors, Milton Osborne. The mayor said he had been speaking to Mr Osborne's wife, who was waiting for news near the mine entrance. Potentially one of this country's worst mining disasters unfolded at 3.50pm when power was cut. When an electrician went into the mine to investigate, he found a loader driver who had been flung from his machine by the explosion. Trees were left charred, a vent was blackened, and fence railings were blasted away. A new shift of workers had just started for the day. Two miners clambered to safety through an escape route – a narrow chimney with a ladder. Those men, one of whom was the loader driver, were taken to Grey Hospital in Greymouth with moderate injuries about 7pm. Police said they were "walking and talking". Family members met them at the hospital, where one was transferred to a ward, while the other was treated in the emergency department. The mine entrance is about 2.2km long, and then branches out into other areas. It is the country's largest underground coalmine. The Australian Government has offered any expertise or assistance that might be required. Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee, who was travelling to the site last night, said he had thanked them for the offer but the West Coast mining rescue team were experts in the field and best placed for the rescue mission at this stage. He understood a plan was being formulated for how to enter the mine. Greymouth Star reporter Paul McBride flew over the site shortly before a no-fly zone was imposed about 6pm. He could smell sulphuric gas from 100 metres up, he said. "There was still the smell of smoke and gas coming from that area. There was a smell of burning." The explosion had blown the front of the mine out and a nearby station "to pieces". Robin Kingston, archdeacon of the Greymouth and Kumara Anglican Church, said many of the church's parishioners were involved with the mine. "People have been asking for prayers for those they know who are not accounted for as yet. "We are a community that has gone through many, many crises. Some worked out OK, and some were absolutely disastrous. We tend not to jump to conclusions and wait to see," he said. "If it is disastrous, well, we will handle it well. We tend not to panic until we know for sure." West Coast mining historian Brian Wood said the Pike River mine had been developed to exacting modern standards, including safety, but he "wasn't overly optimistic". He suspected an electrical fault ignited undetected methane – a gas present in coalmines but usually piped away – causing a gas explosion. At Greymouth's Union Hotel social club night, residents waited anxiously for news of mates stuck down the mine shaft, as text messages were frantically sent throughout the community. The usually rowdy group were subdued, the manager said. "Everyone's sort of feeling it a bit, a bit bummed and down. You've just got a gut feeling when you have got an explosion down a mine. "It's just a guessing game. We're waiting for the texts to start flowing in." The mood at the pub was not optimistic, he said. The wife of one Pike River miner said her husband was spared because he was on holiday. "He's pretty upset at the moment because he found out something happened to one of his mates." Her husband had formerly worked at the West Coast's Roa Mine, where a colleague had died in 2006. "It's pretty raw to us," she said. Her husband, who had been a miner for 30 years, was aware of the risks of mining, she said.[/quote] Source: [url]http://www.stuff.co.nz/timaru-herald/news/4367029/27-trapped-in-coal-mine[/url] It's actually 29 trapped.

Not this shit again.

Fuck

Woo, more free psp's

[QUOTE=Tuvok;26165322]Woo, more free psp's[/QUOTE] What?

Oh boy, a sequel! [editline]19th November 2010[/editline] Here's to hoping a place like New Zealand is able to respond quicker than Chile was.

Methane gas is a bitch. It's worth noting I saw an episode of Modern Marvel's "Engineering Disasters" miniseries on the History Channel earlier today dealing with coal mine explosions. Creepy... :tinfoil:

They're probably dead

Is New Zealand trying to compete with Chile?

It was probably caused by one of these ass holes [img]http://www.gamesprays.com/files/resource_media/preview/minecraft-creeper-4381_preview.png[/img]

Fuck not again. Goodbye CNN for the next month

The biggest problem is that the explosion scared all of the sheep away from that area. It'd be quite amazing if nobody was killed in the blast, but that's a bit optimistic.

Yes, now there can be TWO Trapped Miner porns! :buddy:

Wait, no one cared when this happened in Australia, but they cared when it happened in Chile?

They better watch out for Goblins, lots of Goblins in Moria.

God everyone wants to be a trapped miner. I liked it more when it was underground.

Copy cats

[img]http://images0.memegenerator.net/ImageMacro/3757900/I-liked-the-original-trapped-concept-Now-its-so-mainstream.jpg?imageSize=Large&generatorName=Hipster-Kitty[/img] Pretty much this.

Remind me to never work in a mine.

I bet they were jealous of Chile so they're trying to make their own miner crisis.

Wait, New Zealand does things that are not Lord of the Rings or herd sheep?

[QUOTE=Fingers!!!;26166879][img_thumb]http://images0.memegenerator.net/ImageMacro/3757900/I-liked-the-original-trapped-concept-Now-its-so-mainstream.jpg?imageSize=Large&generatorName=Hipster-Kitty[/img_thumb] Pretty much this.[/QUOTE] I like this one more: [img]http://s-ak.buzzfed.com/static/imagebuzz/web04/2010/10/13/10/hipster-cat-takes-on-the-chilean-miners-25302-1286980936-17.jpg[/img]

why does shit like this keep happening? or do mine traps happen all the time, and the media just is reporting them a lot more now, kinda like after haiti, the media reported every tiny little tremor that california had.

I guess Gimli's cousin Balin gave too warm a welcome.

[QUOTE=Acesarge;26165770]It was probably caused by one of these ass holes [img_thumb]http://www.gamesprays.com/files/resource_media/preview/minecraft-creeper-4381_preview.png[/img_thumb][/QUOTE] What is that

Here we go again

[QUOTE=ham!;26168584]What is that[/QUOTE] creeper from minecraft. while you're mining, they sneak up on you and explode

[QUOTE=Jiyoon;26168620]creeper from minecraft. while you're mining, they sneak up on you and explode[/QUOTE] never heard of minecraft. oh well

[QUOTE=ham!;26168665]never heard of minecraft. oh well[/QUOTE] Great game, addicting, open ended building game. minecraft.net

Oh boy, here we go again.....