WELLINGTON: Mining experts on Tuesday re-entered a coal mine shuttered for more than eight years after one of New Zealand’s worst industrial disasters killed 29 men, the government said, looking to investigate the cause and retrieve the remains of victims. A series of blasts ignited by methane gas ripped through the Pike River Mine on the west coast of the South Island in November 2010, trapping 31 men, though two managed to escape. Safety concerns prompted the previous government to rule out re-entry, despite opposition from the families of miners. “New Zealand is not a country where 29 people can die at work without real accountability,” Andrew Little, the minister responsible for the operation, said in an email. “This is the start of a journey that will end with truth and justice.” -- Reuters

Source: New Strait Times May 21, 2019 03:56 UTC