Disheartening, but not unexpected.

Shitty. I've had this reoccuring sick/nasty feeling for the last few days every time I think about those poor bastards

Also. My God. The telly news tonight is going to be AWFUL. The sappy bullshit of the last five days amplified a thousand times.

The media need to cut them all some slack.

Tragic News for the coasters, condolences to any one here on Vorb connected...

The 19th of November and lots of sifting.
No question that this is a hazardous environment to carry out a rescue. But so is getting plucked off a boat in a storm, a fireman going into a burning house, the ambulance driver going faster than the speed limit to get you to the hospital.
But FFS this is taking a long time to get 2 km down a path.
Now "they" are saying that this will take weeks.

I vote Fraser gets on a plane and gets down the mine to perform the rescuse, stat.

Hasn't the news made it to you yet, Fraser? They are all dead after several subsequent explosions - the coal seam is now burning and there's no hope of survivors. Even extracting the bodies is looking unlikely.

Fraser wrote:But FFS this is taking a long time to get 2 km down a path.

WTF man

Down a path? It's 2 frikkin kilometres underground

Just to show the magnitude of the fire in the mine,here's a photo of flames exiting out a vent shaft.

Hmmm, I guess that is the main ventilation shaft which is 105m deep and has an offset in it which goes around the bit that collapsed last year. Long way up for flames to travel but I guess it is coal dust floating around in the shaft. Going to take a while to put this fire out and make the place safe enough the re-enter for recovery or reopening.

The Police/Mines Rescue made the right decision to not to attempt to re-enter. I did some of the Mines Rescue certifications at Greymouth a couple years back and understand it is completely different environment to a house fire or collapsed building situation, or even an underground metalliferous/gold mine as in Chile . It is more like a confined space situation which more of the general public have training in. Generally confined space incidents are multiple fatalities and a lot of the fatalities are people who have rushed in to rescue without fully assessing the risk environment first. If the rescue was ever going to be a quick rush in and carry the injured out operation, the miners underground themselves would have done that themselves after the initial blast.

The reason for the blast? well too early to define that. Probably a number of procedure failures for something of this scale, which should never happen these days.

Cannot blame environmental regulations. A key risk in mining the UG coal in that locality was always going to be controlling the gas problems effectively and efficiently. The Mt Davy mine nearby was closed for those reasons.

The Press asking the wrong questions and mis-reporting due to not understanding the environment is to be expected. But ringing up family members at 4am is not good form. Having the Police in charge of the operation was probably a good thing as it takes that pressure and responsibility off the Mines Rescue team and makes the Rescue team follow procedure.

scatter wrote:

Fraser wrote:But FFS this is taking a long time to get 2 km down a path.

WTF man

Down a path? It's 2 frikkin kilometres underground

Which is a path, underground.

Fraser wrote:

scatter wrote:

Fraser wrote:But FFS this is taking a long time to get 2 km down a path.

WTF man

Down a path? It's 2 frikkin kilometres underground

Which is a path, underground.

Through an enclosed space full of poisonous and explosive gas. Requiring a rescue to be on foot using air tanks with limited duration of supply.

Have you tried wearing breathing gear while carrying S&R gear? More to the point have you tried to lug it all for 2km underground in a hostile environment?

I'm guessing it wouldn't be easy.

There are tools for this. I work in Explosive demolition, although I am not a mining specialist I have used one of these http://www.brokk.com/ for when things are risky.
I have observed cable and video linked ones being used in hostile environments such as Uranium mining. The small ones you can fit on a back of a ute.

My equipment that I wear is anti static and there are tools that we use that ensure we don't set the explosives off. I have worn those all in one suits a couple of times too so understand the uncomfort.
Need air? Take 2 tanks, take a bunch of them on a trailer you pull along.

I'm sorry if I seem crass, but I don't see this as a moon landing. You just need the right tools.

Fraser wrote:There are tools for this. I work in Explosive demolition, although I am not a mining specialist I have used one of these http://www.brokk.com/ for when things are risky.
I have observed cable and video linked ones being used in hostile environments such as Uranium mining. The small ones you can fit on a back of a ute.

My equipment that I wear is anti static and there are tools that we use that ensure we don't set the explosives off. I have worn those all in one suits a couple of times too so understand the uncomfort.
Need air? Take 2 tanks, take a bunch of them on a trailer you pull along.

I'm sorry if I seem crass, but I don't see this as a moon landing. You just need the right tools.

What a load of crock.

Of course there are tools for this, special forces all around the world have intrinsically safe tools for NBC and clandestine lab operations. But human error is always a major factor and concern. They dont make you bullet or blow up proof.

Carry a trailer ??? are you serious ?? I would say getting to the moon would actually be easier and safer than "pulling a trailer". DO you realise how difficult it is to operate for long periods in a hostile environment in that sort of kit ? And then to throw a rope around your waste attached to a trailer.....OMG.

Even the fittest most experienced firefighter/mine rescuer in the country would be struggling to pull that off. Even if he/they made it to some of the injured then how do they then get them out ? It would take 6 men at least to stretcher one man out. And that would take hours in a mine like that. And while the rescuers might be intrinscially aware and safe the rescuees most certainly would not have been.

I would say the best rescue teams in the world would have been struggling to just get past the "gun barrell" pulling a trailer full of O2 tanks in that environment let alone getting into the heart of the mine and saving everyone.

It might be a good script for a hollywood movie but thats all pal.

Jeepers what next.......