New Zealand minister says plan to search for 29 miners killed in 2010 explosion suspended over safety worries

The long-awaited re-entry into New Zealand’s Pike river mine to retrieve the bodies of 29 miners killed in an explosion nine years ago has been suspended for safety reasons, less than 24 hours before it was due to start.

The fatal explosion on 19 November 2010 has hung over the local community and grieving families seeking closure ever since the site was sealed off.

Last year the Labour coalition government announced it would re-enter the mine on 3 May, but on Thursday Andrew Little, the minister responsible for overseeing the re-entry, pulled the plug on the operation, taking workers and families by surprise.

Little said elevated levels of oxygen had been recorded deep in the mine shaft, which experts were unable to explain.

“When you’ve got a methane-producing environment as you do there – it’s the mix of methane and oxygen that makes it dangerous – that dictates what you do to ventilate the atmosphere. So it is really about making sure that … the atmosphere continues to be respirable and there is no risk of volatility or explosion.” Little said.

There were a number of explanations for the unusual readings, including that the monitoring equipment was faulty, Little said.

Facebook Twitter Pinterest Photos of the 29 victims on display at the public memorial near the Pike river mine. Photograph: Phil Walter/Getty Images

The minister said he had already spoken to the victims’ families and although they were disappointed by the delay they backed the government’s safety-first approach.

The Pike river recovery agency would begin further testing and investigative work over the next week, and a meeting of ventilation experts would take place later in May, Little said.

Anna Osborne lost her husband, Milton, in the disaster and said although the delay was “very disappointing” the families fully supported putting the health and safety of recovery workers first, because this was one of the lessons learnt from the mining disaster.

“We weren’t prepared for this but, that said, we always knew that things could change at the 11th hour,” said Osborne. “The mining industry is so changeable and unpredictable. We didn’t think anything would stop it going ahead this time but it has, and we have to accept that.”

Osborne said they had been told that if the fix was simple the re-entry could be relaunched in days, and the suspension of operations was certainly not permanent. “We were told this is not a showstopper, this is a delay, and the reason for the delay is they have to get it right, and we all want them to be safe doing their jobs.”

Public pressure to launch an underground recovery mission has been intense since day one, spurred on by the astonishing rescue of 33 Chilean miners a few months before the explosion. But the John Key’s National government refused to budge, saying the mission was too complex and risky.

As part of her 2017 election bid, Labour’s Jacinda Ardern promised to re-enter the mine, with no less than two government ministers offering to be the first to set foot inside.

The re-entry plan for Friday, which has now been indefinitely delayed, included a team of three people breaking through the 88cm concrete seal to enter the mine shaft to recover evidence and search for bodies.

As recently as Wednesday Dinghy Pattinson, the chief operating officer of the Pike river recovery agency, told the Guardian no safety issues had been identified for Friday’s operation.

Pike river mine disaster: families fight to stop their dead being sealed away forever Read more

“For Friday I don’t see any risk involved, it is a fresh-air operation. We’re continually monitoring it,” Pattinson said. “Generally mines are not left eight years before they are re-entered – this is very unusual.”

Little said he and Ardern would meet families on the west coast tonight and would receive a full briefing from the re-entry agency tomorrow.

“The families will be disappointed at another setback, but safety has always been their first priority, too.” Little said.

Sonya Rockhouse, who lost her 21-year-old son Ben in the explosion, has been campaigning for re-entry for nine years, but said safety was the priority for everyone involved.

“I am hoping they will find some evidence,” said Rockhouse, when asked what she most wanted to get out of the operation.

“The fact that no one has ever been tried is a massive thing for me. Twenty-nine men can’t just be killed and then everyone just walks away. No one has been held to account – there is no justice or accountability.”