New Zealand Mine Re-entry May Come in March
Pike River Coal, the company that owns the mine where 29 miners died Nov. 19, has gone into receivership. The receivers presented a draft re-entry plan Dec. 22 to local police.
Re-entry into the western New Zealand coal mine where 29 miners died in explosions on Nov. 19 -- and the attempted recovery of their bodies -- may not be attempted until March 2011, according a draft plan detailed by The New Zealand Herald. The newspaper reported that PricewaterhouseCoopers delivered the plan Dec. 22 to local police.
PricewaterhouseCoopers are the receivers for mine owner Pike River Coal, which went into receivership in mid-December.
Fires began burning inside the mine after the explosions, and efforts to cool and stabilize the interior have continued since then. The newspaper reported Dec. 21 that more than $5.5 million had been donated by that point to a trust for the families of the miners who died.