Photographs show some Pike River workers survived the first explosion at the mine and had opened self-rescue kits, says families' spokesman Bernie Monk.

One set of photos seen by the families shows that a box containing self-rescue kits had been opened.

Monk said it was proof some of the 29 miners had survived the initial explosion at Pike River on November 19, 2010.

It was a theory that many of the miners' and contractors' loved ones had steadfastly believed.

A second massive explosion, four days after the fi rst blast, eliminated any hope of survival, police said at the time.

Other photos which have been shown to the families are so clear that they have been able to positively identify the intact bodies of two men.

Family members are now debating whether to publicly release the photos showing the dead miners in a bid to kick-start a body recovery mission.

Any decision to release the pictures lies with the Royal Commission of Inquiry that is seeking to find the cause of the mining tragedy.

"There are two men - we know who the two people are,'' Monk told the Sunday Star-Times.

"We wanted you to have these [photos], we have applied to have them released and we are still waiting to hear back. These are options we could take in the future.''

Monk, whose son Michael, 23, died in the mine, said some families were pushing for the public release of the photos while others wanted to launch their own mine recovery.

"The families are coming to me wanting to go up to the mine themselves now,'' he said. "We have really got to hold them back.''

The parents of one of the dead miners had recently sold their profitable family business to help bankroll a possible re-entry.

"Their sole life is going to be now on recovery,'' Monk said. "They are going to be fulltime helping me and others on recovery. They want their son home.''

Fifteen months on from the initial explosion, Monk said the loved ones of the dead men remained unable to "get on with [their] lives.''

All were holding out hope that a much-debated recovery mission would be launched.

The latest initiative to try to speed up the slow progress was a threepage letter sent to Prime Minister John Key, via National's West Coastbased list MP Chris Auchinvole.

Monk was not prepared to release the strongly-worded letter until Key had been given time to respond.

"I know John Key has had a hell of a lot on his plate. But if his son was down there, would he be sitting back?

"We have put up with the sadness and then all the carry-on that has come out of the commission. People are angry, the families are angry.

"[Now] the frustration of no-one coming to us with a proper recovery plan for our men is even more frustrating. We are really going to push now.''

A spokeswoman for Key said he would respond "in due course''.

In December, Key told the Star-Times the government was committed to doing all it could to recover the remains of the men and experts were working on a plan.

"The progress is slow and is frustrating for everyone, including the government. We want to see them get in there as fast as they can.''