New Zealand inquiry slams management at death mine

Managers at a New Zealand mine where 29 men died in an underground explosion ignored danger signs in a rush to boost production with no oversight from regulators, according to an official inquiry. A royal commission into the blast at the Pike River colliery on November 19, 2010, said New Zealand's worst mining disaster in almost a century was preventable and due to lax safety practices. In a damning finding, the commission found the South Island mine should not have even been operating when the blast occurred because it had consistently recorded dangerously high methane levels. "There were numerous warnings of a potential catastrophe at Pike River... In the last 48 days before the explosion there were 21 reports of methane levels reaching explosive levels," it said. The inquiry, which has spent more than a year investigating the disaster, concluded: "There was a culture of production before safety at Pike River and, as a result, signs of the risk of an explosion were either not noticed or responded to." Prime Minister John Key acknowledged that regulators had failed to monitor the mine properly, announcing that his Labour Minister Kate Wilkinson had quit her portfolio Monday after the commission released its report. "(Her) decision to resign is a personal decision in response to the magnitude of the tragedy, it is the honourable thing to do," Key said before apologising to families of the miners on behalf of the government. Key said it was "simply unacceptable" that inspectors did not carry out their jobs properly in the lead up to the disaster, which claimed the lives of 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons and a South African. Immediately after the blast, there were hopes some of the men were still alive, inspired by the dramatic rescue just weeks before of 33 Chilean miners after 69 days trapped underground. But subsequent explosions five days later dashed any prospect of finding survivors and the commission found all 29 men probably died soon after the first blast. Their remains are still entombed about 2.5 kilometres (1.6 miles) into the colliery, with recovery teams unable to reach them because of an ongoing danger from volatile gases in the mine shaft. The families of some survivors called this week for Pike River management to face manslaughter charges, but the royal commission did not recommend criminal proceedings. Instead it urged a major overhaul of mine safety regulations in New Zealand and the creation of an independent watchdog to monitor workplace safety. A spokesman for the families, Bernie Monk, who lost his son Michael in the disaster, said they were still pleased the commission pulled no punches in laying blame for the disaster. "It's been hard-hitting and that's what the families needed," he told reporters. "It's been very beneficial for the families." Mining stopped at Pike River following the explosion and the Pike River Coal company went into receivership soon afterwards. Another company, Solid Energy, has bought the mine but has no immediate plans to develop the resource, which consists of methane-rich coking coal in a large difficult to reach seam beneath a mountain range.