Fears Growing For The Survival of New Zealand Miners

Fears Growing For The Survival of New Zealand Miners

Pike River mine (in New Zealand) where 29 people have been missing since an explosion Friday, is being searched by a new robot after the first one broke down.

Engineers will soon complete the drilling of a 15cm (6in) wide test and 160m-long shaft that will allow them to assess the air quality. Dangerous levels of methane and carbon monoxide is suspected to be in the mine, which has hampered all rescue efforts.

Methane is combustible, with methane reactions being hard to control - which means there is a potential risk of another explosion. Carbon monoxide is highly toxic to humans in high quantities. Therefore it is unsafe for rescue teams to go in before the air quality has been established.

While the situation is looking increasingly bleak, the mine is well known to be equipped with refuges, and, once electricity supplies are restored, ventilation could quickly purge any methane or combustion fumes. Each miner carried 30 minutes of oxygen, enough to reach oxygen stores in the mine that would allow them to survive for several days in spite of the build-up of carbon monoxide and methane.

However, there has sadly yet to be any contact with the miners who consist of 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Scotsmen and a South African - since Friday 19th November. It is reported that the men would have been carrying flasks of water, but no food. The lights on the miner's caps only last for 24 hours.

CCTV footage of the explosion has since been broadcast. It showed stonedust being blown out of the entrance to the mine tunnel for several seconds after the explosion. Reports have stated that the blast probably occurred a massive 2.5km (1.55 miles) away from where the video was taken.

The disaster follows the ordeal of 33 Chilean miners trapped in an underground chamber for two months before their dramatic rescue last month, when they were hoisted one by one to safety through a hole drilled 700m through rock.

It will be a traumatic wait for family and friends of the trapped men.

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