21 November 2010

Families visiting Pike River mine portal area this morning

Close relatives of the 29 men unaccounted for in the Pike River coal mine have this morning been taken to visit the surface operations area near the mine portal to see first-hand the efforts being made to rescue their loved ones..
Two people from each family left Greymouth in two buses at 9.45 this morning for what is expected to be a three or four hour visit. Pike Chief Executive, Peter Whittall, is with them.

The company has appointed a staff member to act as a coordinator for Pike’s support work for families, including integrating a team of fully trained support staff from Air New Zealand, of which 10 have already arrived in Greymouth. Each family will have a member of that team as their personal contact and that person will ensure Pike’s support is coordinated with the support at being offered by other agencies, such as the Police and Red Cross.

Pike River’s underground coal mine and surface facilities are in the Paparoa Ranges 50km north-east of Greymouth. There are 29 men unaccounted for following the incident on Friday afternoon. Pike River is supporting the organisations managing the recovery operation, including the Mines Rescue teams under the overall command of the New Zealand Police

A selection of general photographs of the Pike River mining operations is available on the company’s website, at http://www.pike.co.nz/photo_gallery.php

ENDS

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