The 29 Pike River miners are likely to have died within three to five minutes after the initial mine explosion, an inquest into the tragedy has been told.Superintendent Gary Knowles told the inquest today expert evidence from Dr Robin Griffiths, of Otago University, said gases present in the mine after the blast would have been similar to cyanide, and caused an immediate lack of consciousness and death within three to five minutes.
This news is hardly earth-shattering, but authorities will see it as vindication of their decision to conduct the rescue operation with the utmost caution. The two men who escaped from the mine after the initial explosion were, it seems, exceedingly fortunate. Had rescuers rushed headlong into the mine, it is likely that the toll would have been even higher.
Today's inquest however is a mere procedural exercise when compared to the upcoming Royal Commission. The inquest is limited to establishing the identities of the deceased miners, and the time and likely cause of death. It will be the Royal Commission that delves fully into the cause of the disaster, and issues of liability.
In the meantime we again extend our sympathy to the whanau of the Pike River 29. We hope that they are in some way comforted by the knowledge that death came quickly to their loved ones.
10 comments:
This question has undoubtedly been asked, but I don't know the answer...
...Does New Zealand not have breathing apparatuses?
Yes.
We call them "lungs".
What's your point?
ummm.. artificial breathing apparatuses .. Like Self Contained Underwater Breathing Apparatuses.
I just figure a rescue could have been mounted immediately with a few of those available.
Were there none on hand?
I guess that will be something for the Royal Commission to determine Stripe. But if death occurred within three to five minutes of the blast, even that may have been inadequate, given the distance into the mine that these guys were reported to have been.
I understand a rescue attempt may have been futile. I just cannot fathom why one was not made.
Once again, that's an issue for the Royal Commission. I don't know how many above-ground personnel would have been available to respond, and what equipment would have been available to them. I can imagine that there would have been pandemonium in the immediate wake of the first blast. I guess that we'll learn more as time goes by.
I disagree. It's not an issue solely for the royal commission. If more could have been done, it is a warning to us all.
To clarify; it's an issue for the Royal Commission to determine the facts as to whether a rescue attempt was feasible. I'm sure that other sites will have reviewed their emergency plans in the wake of Pike River.
Of course a rescue was feasible, had the right equipment and the right people been on hand.
Post a Comment