Scammer
Banned
Twenty-seven miners were missing hours after an underground explosion on New Zealand's west coast, company officials said Friday.
Two other miners had emerged from the the Pike River coal mine in Atarau, authorities said.
About three hours after the blast, police said no fatalities had been reported.
"It is absolutely awful," Pike River CEO Peter Whittall told TV New Zealand. "At the moment, our real focus is on our people down there."
Rescuers held off going into the mine, trying to make sure vents were clear to avoid a dangerous buildup of gas, police spokeswoman Barbara Dunn said. A power outage might have compromised ventilation inside the mine.
"They're itching to get in there and start looking for other people and a bit frustrated at having to stand and wait," she said.
The two miners who had surfaced arrived at the Grey Base Hospital, an hour away, with non-life-threatening injuries, TV New Zealand said. They had moderate blast injuries, with one being treated in the emergency room and the other in a ward. Both were up "walking and talking," police said.
Emergency crews had interviewed the two miners, trying to determine what happened. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known, police said.
According to early accounts, an electrician went into the mine to investigate a power outage and discovered a driver who had been blown off his loader about 1,500 meters [0.9 mile] into the mine shaft.
A special mine rescue team was among the many emergency workers on the scene.
A large group of family and friends of the miners had started gathering at the mine, TV New Zealand reported.
Communications underground were "terminated" when the explosion happened, CEO Whittall said.
The entrance to the mine is about 2.2 kilometers along and then branches out, police said.
Smoke hung outside the mine, trees were charred and a hut had been blown off a hill, TV New Zealand said.
There are two routes out of the mine, Whittall said. Unlike the Chilean mine where 33 miners were rescued in mid-October, the Pike River mine has steep terrain, and the shafts run horizontally into the hill, not vertically into the ground, he told TV New Zealand.
The remote mine is about 50 kilometers [31 miles] northeast of Greymouth, police said.
Two other miners had emerged from the the Pike River coal mine in Atarau, authorities said.
About three hours after the blast, police said no fatalities had been reported.
"It is absolutely awful," Pike River CEO Peter Whittall told TV New Zealand. "At the moment, our real focus is on our people down there."
Rescuers held off going into the mine, trying to make sure vents were clear to avoid a dangerous buildup of gas, police spokeswoman Barbara Dunn said. A power outage might have compromised ventilation inside the mine.
"They're itching to get in there and start looking for other people and a bit frustrated at having to stand and wait," she said.
The two miners who had surfaced arrived at the Grey Base Hospital, an hour away, with non-life-threatening injuries, TV New Zealand said. They had moderate blast injuries, with one being treated in the emergency room and the other in a ward. Both were up "walking and talking," police said.
Emergency crews had interviewed the two miners, trying to determine what happened. The cause of the explosion was not immediately known, police said.
According to early accounts, an electrician went into the mine to investigate a power outage and discovered a driver who had been blown off his loader about 1,500 meters [0.9 mile] into the mine shaft.
A special mine rescue team was among the many emergency workers on the scene.
A large group of family and friends of the miners had started gathering at the mine, TV New Zealand reported.
Communications underground were "terminated" when the explosion happened, CEO Whittall said.
The entrance to the mine is about 2.2 kilometers along and then branches out, police said.
Smoke hung outside the mine, trees were charred and a hut had been blown off a hill, TV New Zealand said.
There are two routes out of the mine, Whittall said. Unlike the Chilean mine where 33 miners were rescued in mid-October, the Pike River mine has steep terrain, and the shafts run horizontally into the hill, not vertically into the ground, he told TV New Zealand.
The remote mine is about 50 kilometers [31 miles] northeast of Greymouth, police said.
