Explosions The first explosion is believed to have occurred at around 3:44 pm on 19 November 2010. Methane may have accumulated in a void formed during earlier mining activities, then been expelled into the rest of the mine by a roof fall, or it may have accumulated directly in working areas of the mine. It is not known what sparked the explosion, but a working mine contains several possible ignition sources. Two miners managed to walk from the mine later the same day, having been in the access tunnel, or just off it, some distance from the source of the explosion. Both were taken to Greymouth Hospital suffering moderate injuries. Initial media reports were unclear as to the number of miners and contractors remaining within the mine, with various numbers between 25 and 33 being mentioned. however, the refuges were empty and there was no evidence of miners attempting to reach them. A second explosion occurred at 2:37 pm on 24 November 2010. Police Superintendent Gary Knowles stated that he believed no one could have survived. According to the CEO of the Pike River mine, Peter Whittall, the explosion was not caused by anybody working in or around the mine. The second explosion sent smoke, soot and explosive gases up a mine shaft where a team of rescue staff had been taking samples; the noise of the rising explosion provided them enough warning to get clear, evacuating the area on foot. A third explosion occurred at 3:39 pm on 26 November 2010; it appeared to be smaller than the first two. A fourth significant explosion ignited the coal within the mine; the subsequent fire was visible above the ventilation shaft; the steel structure above the shaft was damaged and neighbouring scrub set alight. The fire appeared to be located near the bottom of the shaft, burning either loose coal or the
seam itself, and considerably complicated efforts to stabilise the mine and made recovery of "intact" bodies unlikely.
Gas monitoring The initial explosion damaged the mine's gas drainage line, causing methane gas to begin accumulating in the mine immediately. As there may have been a potential ignition source, it was too dangerous for rescuers to enter the mine. It was originally predicted to take several days before the mine was safe enough for
rescuers to enter, as the gases inside were feared to be explosive. Initial testing at the mine ventilation shaft was hindered by heavy clouds, preventing helicopter access, and staff were going to have to walk in over rough terrain, as the shaft does not have road access. Seismic equipment was attached to tubes at the tunnel mouth to detect movement in the mine. With tests still not giving clearance for rescuers to enter the mine, an attempt was made to enter the mine using a
bomb disposal robot provided by the
New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF). The robot failed only into the mine due to water ingress. Sources noted that while the robot was capable of operating in rain, it had "effectively [been] hit by a waterfall",
short-circuiting it. and the first robot was later restarted. The robots entered the mine on 23 and 24 November 2010, while a third, from
Australia, was en route to the site. The use of
United States mining rescue/exploration robots was also being considered though the second explosion later that day effectively ended the robot efforts. Early on 24 November 2010, it was reported that a drill started from above the horizontal mine had reached to the mine chamber, releasing hot gas. Later in the day, it was reported analysis showed 95% methane. A camera, inserted into a safe haven in the mine, found no evidence of human activity.
Rescue response to mark the official memorial service for the 29 miners on 2 December 2010. In accordance with the protocols established in New Zealand's
Co-ordinated Incident Management System, the emergency response was led by
New Zealand Police – in this case Superintendent Gary Knowles, District Commander of the Tasman region. In addition to police, "Operation Pike" involved staff and management from
Pike River Coal Ltd, the company operating the mine (represented at media and family conferences by CEO Peter Whittall), mine rescue experts from New Zealand and Australia, the
Red Cross,
ambulance services, the New Zealand Defence Force, and the
Fire Service. The recovery phase was led by Inspector Mark Harrison, with Knowles in charge overall. A welfare centre was set up at the Red Cross Hall in
Greymouth for the families of the missing men. Police encouraged families to use this centre rather than trying to reach the mine's access road, which was closed to everyone except emergency services. After several days of delays in entering the mine, some locals expressed anger at what they considered the undue cautiousness of the rescue teams, noting that in historical accidents the rescue efforts were undertaken by fellow miners. In response to the continued criticism from various media and local families for their refusal to send rescuers into the mine, Trevor Watts, leader of the Mines Rescue, explained the team's belief that any rescuers would have also been killed given the conditions within the mine. Both the
Australian and
New Zealand stock exchanges placed
trading halts on
Pike River Coal (PRC) shares following the first explosion to allow the company time to "provide the market with a detailed update". PRC's largest shareholder
New Zealand Oil & Gas, which owned 29.4%, was also placed on a trading halt for two days; upon reinstatement the shares lost 29% of their value. PRC's shares were halted for 13 days. On 2 December 2010, when New Zealand held a nationwide
moment of silence, including at the stock exchange, PRC's suspension was inadvertently allowed to end and about 200,000 share trades were later invalidated. The first explosion was classified as a "highly, highly irregular event", and the New Zealand Prime Minister
John Key immediately announced the government would hold an inquiry into its cause. It was later announced that the government would appoint a
Royal Commission of Inquiry. In addition, the police and the
coroner would conduct investigations – as required by law – as would the
Department of Labour.
Recovery operation A
Gorniczy Agregat Gasniczy (GAG) unit from
Queensland, accompanied by 16 crew from
Queensland Mines Rescue Service, was brought in on 26 November 2010 by the
RNZAF, to be used in an attempt to suppress the fires. On 13 January 2011, Howard Broad told a media conference that the recovery of the bodies of the miners would be halted as it was impractical and too unsafe. Responsibility for securing the mine would be left with the receivers of Pike River Coal. They came to the conclusion it could be done, and the government promised to fund the effort if its High Hazards Unit agreed. In October 2013, Solid Energy with the assistance of the
New Zealand Defence Force started the Pike re-entry project in an effort to send mine rescue and other experts 2.3 km into the drift access tunnel and close to the debris blockage caused by a roof fall. The following year
WorkSafe wrote to Solid Energy stating that the re-entry plan made at that time was "safe and technically feasible"; and this became public knowledge the following month, in September 2014. In November 2014, Solid Energy announced the decision not to re-enter the mine due to safety concerns, saying that if rescuers re-entered there was an unmanageable risk that more people would die. == Victims ==