The news that some of the trapped miners
survived the initial blast does not come as a surprise. As with many issues, we
were primed for this news last year when grainy images of opened self-rescue
boxes and bodies were shown.
The
second explosion has been described as "unsurvivable". In spite of an
overwhelming desire to hope "it was over quickly", (which is a form
of making the best of a very bad situation) part of me knows that people, and
especially miners, are very resourceful. I can't dismiss the possibility that
some of the Pike River 29 died of thirst, starvation or something else while
waiting to be rescued.
On the subject of rescue I can only speculate
as to whether the correct decision was made. Certainly it prevented further
deaths; we can only be sure rescue was possible once the bodies are recovered.
The priorities I would like to see are:
·
The bodies of
the miners returned to their families for proper burials.
·
The people
responsible held to account. I expect this will include criminal charges and
gaol sentences.
·
The
Commission of Inquiry completed so that not only are the facts found, but also
the stories of the miners and their families told.
·
Improvements
to mine safety through better design and operation standards. This is an area
where we need to catch up with Australia, and could do so by adopting their
rules and regulations.
·
The fate of
the mine determined, either via abandonment or a partial or full re-opening,
because I am not against mining, as long as it is done well.
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