Recovery of Pike miners' bodies 'unlikely,' receivers say

Recovery of Pike miners' bodies 'very unlikely' as receivers prepare stabilisation plan

Jan. 17 (BusinessDesk) – The receivers of Pike River Coal Ltd. say it is very unlikely the bodies of the 29 miners killed in the mine will be recovered.

John Fisk, David Bridgman and Malcolm Hollis of PricewaterhouseCoopers made the statement as part of a response to the Police on their plans for the mine following the end of the recovery operation by state agencies.

Under the proposal, the company will fund five-to-eight weeks of work to try to achieve a "sustainable inert atmosphere in the mine with no evidence of underground heat sources that pose risk of further explosion," the receivers said in a statement.

"The receivers agree with the Police that, based on the extensive work undertaken to date, it appears that a recovery of the deceased miners is very unlikely," they said.

Should the mine atmosphere be stabilised, "considerable additional analysis will be required to determine future plans."

Last week Fisk told Newstalk ZB he was required to get the “best price obtainable for the assets” which are worth billions of dollars. Handing the land back to the Department of Conservation was at the bottom of the list.

Police have sealed the entrance to the mine, deeming it too dangerous to continue efforts to recover the bodies of the miners killed in November’s explosions.

The eight weeks of extra work don't guarantee the future of the mine, the receivers said today.

Pike called in the receivers last month after its main asset was devastated by a series of deadly explosions which left the atmosphere in the mine highly volatile.

(BusinessDesk)

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