Miners tragedy

[dave351cid]

my thoughts have been (and will be) with anyone involved in this.
not much that can be said but know that your cousins across the lake are feeling for you.

[blueluvr]

They are obviously already being forgotten about if people have given up on their lives

GTP, I know what you are saying, really I do, but that's a bit harsh. These blokes have been through 2 explosions, and day after day of continuous exposure to toxic gas. The two guys who escaped were blown 15 odd meters and they were more than a KM away from the main explosion further in. They weren't simply trapped in an underground cave like the Chillian guys. They aren't in an area that has fresh air. When they drilled through the other day they were blasted with a pressure burst of methane gas and a bag of other nasty gasses. Whilst you can never give up hope, in reality, people just can't survive in conditions like that for even a few hours, let alone days on end. I only hope some good comes of this in either safety reviews, redesigns of certain things or whatever, but still the job is what it is, a bloody dangerous one.

[fmc351]

Originally Posted by blueluvr

GTP, I know what you are saying, really I do, but that's a bit harsh. These blokes have been through 2 explosions, and day after day of continuous exposure to toxic gas. The two guys who escaped were blown 15 odd meters and they were more than a KM away from the main explosion further in. They weren't simply trapped in an underground cave like the Chillian guys. They aren't in an area that has fresh air. When they drilled through the other day they were blasted with a pressure burst of methane gas and a bag of other nasty gasses. Whilst you can never give up hope, in reality, people just can't survive in conditions like that for even a few hours, let alone days on end. I only hope some good comes of this in either safety reviews, redesigns of certain things or whatever, but still the job is what it is, a bloody dangerous one.

Theres is also a real possibility they will never be able to recover them. They were saying they may have to entomb them where they are. It could be that unstable.

Explosions like this are worst case scenarios.

[rodderz]

It will be interesting to see the outcome of the investigation. The nature of coal, with it being broken down old vegetative material is that the action of breaking down produces gases under layers of soil over millions of years. The gases are apparently always there and the worker's aren't allowed to have phones/ welders or any ignition devices that can cause an explosion.

I wonder what readings were taken before the 1st blast and if management knew that there were increased risks. For the sake of the miners trapped and their families it needs to be thorough to make it safer in the future in any coal mine

[Jason[98.EL]]

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

yea my cousin died,
he was 23

Sorry to hear mate

my family passes on our condolences to you and your family

may he rest in peace

Jason & Helen

[GT0132]

Originally Posted by 99AUXR

yea my cousin died,
he was 23

Sorry to hear that 99AUXR....My thoughts are with you, your family and my other fellow Kiwis back home during this terrible time in our history.

[ROLLI]

Sad day! Such a shame that people have to lose there lives at a work place just doesnt seem fair to me. RIP guys!

[Jason[98.EL]]

The church bells rang 29 times so we knew it was final and the end of the line. Now 29 miners are at heavens gate with coal silted dirty faces asking is it 2 late? When god replies, with half a grin "no my children, its not.. come on in" They placed their mining lights gently on heavens floor when god said "job well done" leave your boots at the door....

May they rest in peace

[05_ENFORCER]

Originally Posted by Jason[98.EL]

The church bells rang 29 times so we knew it was final and the end of the line. Now 29 miners are at heavens gate with coal silted dirty faces asking is it 2 late? When god replies, with half a grin "no my children, its not.. come on in" They placed their mining lights gently on heavens floor when god said "job well done" leave your boots at the door....

May they rest in peace

That is absolutely beautifull Jason.

Well done.

RIP brothers.





.

[Fled74]

My prayers go out to the families of those lost to us.

[Dave_Obsession]

Originally Posted by 05_ENFORCER

That is absolutely beautifull Jason.

Well done.

RIP brothers.
.

lol don't give Jason credit for that, it's a facebook status update that's doing the rounds....

RIP to those who have moved on, condolences to all the families affected. Just terrible.

They were saying in a news broadcast the other day about the other mining incident in China that just happened - they said that 2600 miners died in Chinese mines last year!!!

[Dave_Obsession]

Originally Posted by blueluvr

GTP, I know what you are saying, really I do, but that's a bit harsh. These blokes have been through 2 explosions, and day after day of continuous exposure to toxic gas. The two guys who escaped were blown 15 odd meters and they were more than a KM away from the main explosion further in. They weren't simply trapped in an underground cave like the Chillian guys. They aren't in an area that has fresh air. When they drilled through the other day they were blasted with a pressure burst of methane gas and a bag of other nasty gasses. Whilst you can never give up hope, in reality, people just can't survive in conditions like that for even a few hours, let alone days on end. I only hope some good comes of this in either safety reviews, redesigns of certain things or whatever, but still the job is what it is, a bloody dangerous one.

And people complain how much money mining jobs can go for.......this is just a little reminder why!!
I wonder how many of the blokes working in the Aussie mines would have been a little bit nervous heading to work over the last couple of days....the whole "it'll never happen here" mindset may have been forgotten....

[Jason[98.EL]]

yes it is dave I thought it was appropriate to post here

I forgot to add it into my post above

[Dave_Obsession]

Originally Posted by Jason[98.EL]

yes it is dave I thought it was appropriate to post here

I forgot to add it into my post above

Absolutely totally appropriate.
Hopefully as has already been mentioned, they all 'went to sleep' first because of the gases etc....hopefully it was painless, a small mercy perhaps.

[KYSBF]

This is just a terrible tragedy. My cousin Glen is one of the miners who is down there.
I grew up at Atarau and the missus and I were only over there a couple of weeks ago, I cannot imagine how it is affecting the families and also the greater community.

Stay strong everyone affected.

RIP guys :(

[99AUXR]

They are saying that it may be possible that the miners are traped down their, but whats happening at the moment is they are getting something that will fill the mine with CO2 which will smother out any flames and prevent fires.

The miners are sadly gone, there is no hope. As much as any of us would their just isnt. they would have been unconscious by monday due to the methane levels. The second explosion was huge. Hopefully they pasted in their sleep and we get their bodies back for closure.

EDIT:Just on the news the CEO of the mine said families WILL get their loved ones bodies back he just doesnt know how long

Cheers to the support guys
Brad

[AndrewR_AUII]

Two major uses for Coal are power generation and manufacture of Iron.

Next time you turn on the light or take a drive in your car, have a think about these 29 people, their families and friends.

[EASYBOSS]

Now a third explosion

RIP the 29

I just want then to dig the mine out, as in open mining and get them back, its only 150 meters or so down. (yes I know some of it is very hard rock)

On a side note, this would have never happened if the green's had stopped open mining

[Jason[98.EL]]

taken from ninemsn

A third explosion has occurred at the Pike River coal mine in New Zealand — but there are no reports of injuries.

A spokesperson for the mine confirmed the blast, 3News reports.

Mine chairman John Dow said the explosion occurred at 3.37pm local time (1.37pm AEDT) and lasted for 20 seconds.

It was not as big as the other explosions.

Mr Dow said the explosion will not have an impact on Pike River's recovery efforts.

It comes just two days after the second blast at the mine which authorities said left no hope of survival for any of the 29 men trapped inside.

Mine staff, rescue crew and family members gathered at the site today at 1.44pm (AEDT) to mark the one week anniversary of the first explosion.

Mr Dow said family members would not have heard the third explosion because it was only noted on CCTV footage. No one was at the site at the time, he said.

Overnight, a robot travelled 1.5km into the mine where it inspected the damage from the second blast. Debris through the underground network of tunnels prevented it from going any further inside.

Technical teams at the mine site are currently evaluating the situation underground to determine what needs to be done to make the mine safe to enter to retrieve the bodies.

A second group is looking at methods of entering the mine.

Meanwhile, experts are continuing to monitor the mine shaft for gas levels, which are fluctuating between low and explosive ranges.

sorry to hear about this third explosion may the 29 down there rest in peace

rest in peace guys our thoughts are on you and your families in this tough time

[nstg8a]

Originally Posted by dave93761

And people complain how much money mining jobs can go for.......this is just a little reminder why!!

something to remember too, is that mining jobs in nz are nowhere near as well paid as australian mining jobs...

fingers crossed they get them oout so the families can have some closure. or there will always be questions remaining.

[Envi XR8]

Nothing that anyone puts into words will cover the loss being felt by the families and the country as a whole, I feel so sorry for them.

It is a hell of a price to pay for doing a job, so that you feed a family, put the kids through school, pay the mortgage... very sad in deed.

I hope they do everything to get these men out of that mine. They have earned the right to be able to go home to their families and friends.

God bless them. Rest in peace.

[nstg8a]

i read earlier that acc is stepping up and saying their will be significant payouts to the families involved. while nothing can bring back the loved ones its good to see in a time like this an often mis-trusted govt department can do the right thing.

[rodderz]

I got this interesting Warden's report sent to me by a cousin in law who works in an underground coal mine in Goonyella near Moranbah. He knew a few of the blokes at the mine who died in the 1994 explosion. They never got them out, they had to seal off the mine shaft and ducts.

It's a long read, but gives an insight into mining and how it is monitored. This one seems to have been to be highly preventable had there been better communication and follow up works
http://www.dme.qld.gov.au/zone_files...pdf/moura2.pdf

[Thornie]

Originally Posted by rodderz

I got this interesting Warden's report sent to me by a cousin in law who works in an underground coal mine in Goonyella near Moranbah. He knew a few of the blokes at the mine who died in the 1994 explosion. They never got them out, they had to seal off the mine shaft and ducts.

It's a long read, but gives an insight into mining and how it is monitored. This one seems to have been to be highly preventable had there been better communication and follow up works
http://www.dme.qld.gov.au/zone_files...pdf/moura2.pdf

cheers for the link, interesting read so far.