Prime Minister John Key heads to Greymouth today to offer his support visit to the grieving families of 29 Pike River Coal miners and contractors and thank those involved in attempts to rescue them."One thing that has shone through all of this bleakn
Prime Minister John Key heads to Greymouth today to offer his support visit to the grieving families of 29 Pike River Coal miners and contractors and thank those involved in attempts to rescue them.
"One thing that has shone through all of this bleakness has been the fact that New Zealand has rallied around and I think every New Zealander felt very deeply the news... that the second explosion had taken place and what that meant for the people inside the mine," he said.
It was "horrific" for the families but he hoped they would take comfort in the knowledge the country was "sharing their pain," he told TV1's Breakfast show this morning.
The 29 miners and contractors had not been heard of since an initial explosion on Friday afternoon.
After a second massive explosion at 2.37pm yesterday Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall returned from the mine to break the heart-breaking news to the families of the men.
Mr Key said he didn't know when the men's bodies would be recovered but a number of options were being explored.
"Of course, the most important thing at this point now is to stabilise the environment so it's safe for those rescue teams to go in and take the bodies out."
He noted it took months for miners' bodies to be recovered from a West Virginia mine after an explosion earlier this year.
Mr Key said there was likely to be a commission of inquiry rather than a royal commission of inquiry, which was more suited to social issues such as genetic engineering.
"So look, at the end of the day here, we need answers to what happened at Pike River - clearly something's gone terribly wrong and it's now claimed the lives of 29 people."
Separate coronial, police and Labour Department inquiries would also be held.
He remained confident about the future of mining in New Zealand.
"In the end, it's my view that mining will continue in New Zealand but we just need to understand what went wrong at Pike River."
Last night Mr Key described New Zealand as a nation in mourning and Pike River a national tragedy.
"There are 29 men whose faces and names we have come to know, who will never walk among us again," he said in an emotional speech following the news of the second explosion extinguished hopes the men may have survived.
ACC would be the lead agency responsible for compensating families, the prime minister said.
