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All 29 trapped NZ miners dead: Police

Other News Materials 24 November 2010 09:51 (UTC +04:00)
All 29 miners trapped in a New Zealand mine are now believed to be dead following a second explosion in the Pike River Coal mine, police say, Press TV reported.
All 29 trapped NZ miners dead: Police

All 29 miners trapped in a New Zealand mine are now believed to be dead following a second explosion in the Pike River Coal mine, police say, Press TV reported.

"Unfortunately I have to inform the public of New Zealand that at 2.37p.m. [12.37p.m. AEDT] today there was another massive explosion underground and, based on that explosion, no one survived," the man in charge of the rescue operation, Superintendent Gary Knowles, said on Wednesday.

"It is our belief that no one has survived," he went on to say.

"We had to break the news to the family and they are extremely distraught," he added.

"I was at the mine myself when the explosion occurred. The blast was horrific. Just as severe as the first blast - and we are now moving into a recovery mode."

The miners lost contact with authorities since Friday's blast at the South Island mine. Methane gas is said to have caused the blast.

Rescue workers tried to drill a hole down into the mine to contact the men, but explosive mix of gasses inside made the operation risky for them to enter.

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