Check here for developments in the wake of the Pike River mine disaster today.

Pike River CEO Peter Whittall expressed his regret today at how he initially delivered his news to the families of the 29 miners lost in the disaster.

Pike River Coal's board is to meet tomorrow to talk about options for the company's future.

The family of Queenslander Willy Joynson want answers about why dangerous levels of gas were not detected before last Friday's blast.

Pike River Coal says all its staff are being kept on full pay, with some being reassigned to jobs including helping out at the mine site

Levels of dangerous gases at the Pike River mine are still high and rescuers are unable to enter to recover the bodies of 29 trapped men, police said this afternoon.

World leaders are sending support and sympathy to the families of the men who died at the Pike River coal mine.

Photos of mourners from around New Zealand after the deaths of the 29 Pike River miners.

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.

The All Blacks will wear white armbands and will honour the Pike River miners with a minute's silence before Sunday's test against Wales.

A series of high-level inquiries will be held into the Pike River mine tragedy as the families of the miners demand answers.

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.

The first four hours after Friday's Pike River mine blast was the only time rescuers could have entered the mine, a safety expert says.