PM: Pike River mine to be sealed

OLIVIA CARVILLE, NICOLE MATHEWSON, KEITH LYNCH, AMY GLASS AND MARTA STEEMAN

A grieving father has lashed out at the decision to entomb the body of his son and 28 other men by sealing Pike River mine.

Pike River Mine Committee spokesperson Bernie Monk, who lost his 23-year-old son Michael in the explosion on November 19, told The Press the decision to seal the mine was a "bloody disgrace".

Monk said he was upset that Prime Minister John Key appeared to back the move.

"To hell with him and what he says. I reckon he is letting New Zealand down here," Monk said.

At a media conference today Key indicated the mine would probably be sealed.

"It is likely that the mine would be sealed, but it would be up to the receivers if it would be sealed permanently," Key said.

This comment was made in response to last night's police announcement that the Pike River recovery mission was going to be abandoned.

Monk said the 29 families had not been told the mine would be sealed and he said he heard the news from people on the street in Greymouth.

"No one has told me that the mine is going to be sealed. As the head of the families I have not been told and it is terrible the way they have treated us," he said.

Other family members of the 29 lost miners had been calling Monk to ask if the rumours were true.

"Is John Key a law unto himself now? Don't you think he should have got in touch with the families? He made this decision without speaking to us and it is a bloody disgrace," he said.

Monk said he would not rest until the trapped miners' bodies were recovered.

"It is a sad day for New Zealand the way they have treated us and I am taking this matter further. I am not finished yet.

"My aim is to get them out and I am still working on that," he said.

Earlier today, Key said the decision was "obviously a very tragic end for the families".

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He had previously said the government was fully committed to removing the bodies of the 29 miners and contractors who died in a blast in the mine in November to give the families full closure.

"That is just not possible. It is not an issue of money or time or commitment," Mr Key said today.

The Prime Minister defended the decision by the police to abandon their efforts to recover the remains of the 29 miners trapped in the Pike River Mine, saying the recovery plan failed and there is no credible way to retrieve the bodies.

Police Commissioner Howard Broad yesterday said the police would end their efforts to recover the remains of the men trapped in the coalmine since November 19.

Today John Key said the mine is likely to be sealed and there was no chance of recovery the remains of the miners.

''There has been substantial damage inside the mine from what we can tell, it's an unsafe environment.''

Key said it was a tragic end for the families of Pike River.

''The Government was fully committed to doing everything we could to making sure the bodies were removed and that full closure could be achieved for those families but that's just not possible and it's not an issue of money or time or commitment.'' 

''The police have my complete support in the decision they have made.''

Key said the decision was based on three independent experts and international advice.

''We accept the decision the police have made, we think it's been based on sound foundation and those independent opinions.''

 Key denied he had promised family members the miners remains would be recovered.

''I never promised anyone we would get the bodies out.

''We promised family members that we would do everything we could to get the bodies out.

"We have done everything that we believe we possibley can.''

Key said the recovery plan, which was to use the GAG machine to allow miners access to the mine, had failed.

He said he will have no problem fronting up to those family members and intends to visit the West Coast next month.

''My experience of dealing with the families is that they're suffering a lot of pain, but for the most part they're extremely realistic.

''Of course they're absolutely devastated, I would be absolutley devastated, I understand that completely.

''If there was anything I could do to make that happen I would make it happen but in the end we actioned a plan, it was a plan on the best advice and that plan has failed.''

Key said he could not rule out the mine ever being used again but in the short term it would not be operational.

Mine may go back to government 

Earlier today, Pike River receivers said the ''hard reality'' was that if there wasn't enough money to get back into the mine, the land would be handed back to the Government.

The comments came as Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee this morning put pressure on the receivers to ''step up'' and submit their plan for the mine by 5pm on Monday.

Police Commissioner Howard Broad yesterday said the police would end their efforts to recover the remains of the men trapped in the coalmine since November 19.

John Fisk, of PricewaterhouseCoopers, said the receivers had about $10 million in cash, plus a number of assets above ground and in the mine itself.

''We are trying to get a costing on what would be involved in trying to get the atmosphere in the mine stable.

''Police have said their expert advice is that that is going to be considerably difficult, however, we need to find if we can do it and tell the police by Monday.''

Fisk said the priority was working with police to get the mine to a safe state.

''And then if we can get back into the mine the question is then, can we get to a place where the bodies might be?''

He said the Pike River situation was ''unique'' and an incredibly difficult situation for the families and receivers.

''We are dealing with both the cost involved in dealing with the mine and also logistical issues. We need to work out if we have enough [money] to temporarily seal the mine or if we just put a fence around it.

''If there's not enough money to get back into the mine then the hard reality is we will just have to hand back to DOC [the Department of Conservation].

''The best outcome is having an operational mine but, right now, re-entry is out of the question,'' he said.

Tasman Police District Superintendent Gary Knowles, who led the rescue effort, said today that ''there comes a time when you have to put a stake in the sand and it has come to this point''.

''If you cannot go into the mine then you have to accept reality.''

The risk posed by putting rescue staff into the incredibly hot, wet and unstable mine was simply not practicable, he said.

''In all my 34 years it is the most tragic case I have been part of. In the process we have seen a community grieving and coming together. I have seen police and emergency staff do amazing things.

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