The Pike River Recovery Agency team has to tunnel through a Rocsil plug to get to the top of the drift. A majority of Pike River families want the Government to reconsider its decision to wind down re-entry efforts. Pike River father Bernie Monk said 22 families had contacted him to give their support. The Pike River Recovery Agency has been working its way down the 2.3km mine access tunnel, or drift, since 2018 with a $52m budget. He, along with Pike River father Dean Dunbar, has been investigating the cause of the disaster with the help of electrical engineer Richard Healey.

Source: Stuff April 07, 2021 17:01 UTC