
Pike River mine disaster: Bodies will be recovered
Rescue authorities are vowing to recover the bodies of the 29 miners - but admit they don't know when it will happen.
Rescue authorities are vowing to recover the bodies of the 29 miners - but admit they don't know when it will happen.
'People find just that extra little bit, they take a deep breath, they will raise the bar…,' Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn says.
A series of high-level inquiries will be held into the Pike River mine tragedy as the families of the miners demand answers.
The Pike River CEO had to give the worst news possible to families who had looked to him for hope.
The abrupt certainty of a second blast at Pike River shattered hundreds of loving hearts.
Before the service began, 29 candles flickered on a table near the altar surrounded by many unlit candles waiting to be lit by mourners.
'It's the finality of the second explosion that rips at the guts of the country,' John Key tells media.
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.