A former chief mines inspector says the missing piece of evidence could point to the cause of the Pike River Mine disaster. A group representing some of the families of men who died in the Pike River Mine say critical evidence disappeared during the initial investigation. After it was photographed, Tony Forster, a former mines chief inspector now advising the Pike River families, told TVNZ he understood it was flown by helicopter to the Pike River office. KIRK HARGREAVES/STUFF Families of the Pike River miners say critical evidence has been lost during the initial investigation into the disaster. READ MORE:* Pike River re-entry: Police will not be among first into mine drift* 'We're going in' - Government unveils decision to re-enter Pike River Mine* Pike River re-entry plan to be revealedSonya Rockhouse, who lost her son Ben in the disaster, said a lot of electrical equipment in the mine was not designed for mine conditions, and was unsafe.

Source: Stuff February 17, 2019 06:44 UTC