Pike River Mine Deaths
Nov
25
2010
Yesterday 29 men were confirmed dead in the explosion that occurred at Pike River underground mine on the West Coast, in what is being described as New Zealand’s worst peacetime loss of life since an Air New Zealand DC10 crashed on Mt Erebus in Antarctica, in 1979.
Although both a novelist and a poet, at times like these I feel there are no words that can readily and respectfully encompass the grief and loss of the families and friends of the men who have died, or the blow to the community. But I do wish to acknowledge the magnitude of the disaster that has occured and extend my very deep sympathy to the families and to the Greymouth and West Coast communities.
Comments
Well put Helen, I feel exactly the same.
Thanks, Graham.
Yup. This.
Me too – can’t find words. NZ is having such a tough year. May 2011 be better for all of you.
It’s absolutely heartbreaking. I heard the news of the first explosion while sitting in the hospital waiting for news about my grandson’s operation, and I felt a real kinship with the miners’ families at the time — waiting for news of a loved one in peril. While I’m thrilled that our story seems to have ended happily, for now, it makes me feel all the worse for them. Bless them all.