It was Pike River CEO Peter Whittall who broke the news to the miners' families this afternoon, that their worst fears had been realised.

Families of the 29 Pike River mine victims who perished in today's second blast fell to the floor screaming and were in "absolute despair", when they were told the news.

Unscrupulous reporters have tried posing as victim support workers to gain access to distressed families, reports the Greymouth Star.

A robot sent into the Pike River coal mine has found a miner's hat with the light still on. Footage taken underground will be shown to families at 4pm.

If you haven't got time to read all our in-depth coverage of the Pike River Mine disaster, here's a quick summary of five key things you need to know today.

Families at this morning's Pike River briefing were unhappy they were not shown blast footage until yesterday, a miner's father says.

"They don't understand it fully. For them, it's 'Dad's on a holiday' or 'he's just stuck underground'.

Relatives of the trapped miners reacted with disbelief and anger to news a robot had malfunctioned.

The robot sent into the Pike River Mine was operating outside of its primary role when it broke down.

Families have viewed footage of the Pike River mine blast this afternoon. Lawrie Drew, father of Zen Drew, said the footage was difficult to watch.

Sending a robot into the Pike River coal mine where 29 men are trapped was always a "long shot", an expert says.

If you haven't got time to read all our in-depth coverage of the Pike River Mine disaster, here's a quick summary of five key things you need to know today.

The sun smiled on Greymouth yesterday, but faces were grim and the sadness here was palpable.

The day before he went down the mine for the first time, Joseph Dunbar turned 17.

Drilling on a new borehole into the Pike River coal mine is in its final stages, with 20m of the 162m tunnel to go.

The family of Aussie miner Willy Joynson is clinging to hope the father of two is still alive.

An Aussie mine expert recalls when rescuers were within metres of 12 trapped miners, only to be recalled due to "off the chart" gas readings.

Rescuers plan to send a Defence Force robot into the Pike River coal mine where 29 miners remain trapped after an explosion on Friday, one gas levels drop.

nzherald.co.nz profiles the men trapped in the Pike River coal mine on the West Coast.

If you haven't got time to read all our in-depth coverage of the Pike River Mine disaster, here's a quick summary of five key things you need to know today.

The families of the trapped miners are holding onto hope that their loved ones will emerge alive.

Police have officially named the 29 miners trapped in the Pike River coal mine on the West Coast since Friday.

Pike River says equipment such as robots could create sparks in a gaseous environment.

Testing of gas levels in the Pike River mine continued overnight, but the mine is still deemed too dangerous for a rescue attempt to be mounted.