By Jerram Watts and James Murray
The Coronial Inquest into the deaths of 29 miners at Pike River Mine in Greymouth has found the men died in the first explosion from a combination of concussions, thermal injuries, and hypoxia.
The inquest into the deaths began this morning before Chief Coroner Neil MacLean in the small Greymouth District Courthouse. Judge MacLean said he was satisfied on the evidence available to him that the death of all 29 men occurred on November 19 either at "the imminent time of the large explosion that occurred in the mine or a very short time thereafter".
He found their deaths were the results of a substantial explosion and the combination of concussion and thermal injuries, together with acute hypoxia through exposure to toxic gases and lack of oxygen.
Two family members represented each of the miners killed in the tragedy. Today's inquest was called a limited scope inquest, so that it did not prejudice the findings of the Royal Commission of Inquiry which is also underway.
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2.27pm - Judge MacLean offers a 'cheery' end to the inquest saying the normal charges for death certificates will not apply in this instance.
2.26pm - Mr MacLean concludes the inquest and says he will send the appropriate information to the registrar of births, deaths and marriages. He says death certificates will then be issued.
2.24pm - Mr MacLean says families can conclude that he is satisfied with the circumstances of death based on the findings of the experts. He proceeds to read out the names of the 29.
2.23pm - It is also clear that the cause of death may well vary in degree between individuals. Depending on their location at the time of the explosion this could be the result of a substantial explosion or a combination of concussive and thermal injuries due to the explosion, and also from exposure to toxic gases and a lack of oxygen.
2.22pm - Mr MacLean says he is satisfied with the evidence available to him that the deaths of all 29 men occurred on November 19, either at the immediate time of the large explosion in the mine, or a very short time thereafter.
2.20pm - Mr MacLean says he became involved in the Pike River saga the evening of the first explosion on November 19. He says he opened an inquiry, but at that stage it was not clear if he would be dealing with a recovery or whether it would be a situation where it would be a matter of dealing with being unable to recover the bodies.
2.19pm - Judge MacLean summarises the events leading up to the explosion and immediately after.
2.18pm - Mr MacLean says it is an important part of his role to help allay any rumours surrounding circumstances of death.
2.15pm - Judge MacLean says the purpose of the Coroner's Act is recognising the public good associated with a timely understanding of the causes and circumstances of death. The purpose of an inquest is to establish that a person has died, their identity, when and where they died, the cause of the death and the circumstances of the death. There are other purposes which include making recommendations or avoiding those circumstances. Mr MacLean reiterates he will focus on the what, why and whom of the deaths.
2.11pm - Judge MacLean hands over to counsel to make submissions.
2:05pm - Judge Neil MacLean tells the court he saw the latest video of the mine obtained by police, which some speculated showed the blast was either survivable or a recovery effort was still possible. Mr MacLean says some counsel also saw the video but says he feels the video was not relevant to today's proceedings as it shows only a small pocket of the mine. He says he considered showing some of the footage today, having resolved it is not relevant to the scope of the inquiry, but says it is not for this court, but for other forums.
2:00pm - Ok, we are back from lunch now. The Greymouth court room is full and has just stood as Judge Maclean enters.
12.21pm - The inquest has been adjourned for Judge MacLean to confer with counsel in the chamber. The public hearing part of the inquest will resume at 2pm.
12.20pm - The issue of the tag board is raised as there was confusion as to how many miners were underground at the time of the explosion. They went through an elimination process to find out and then informed the miners' families of the situation. The names of the 29 miners are again read to the court.
12.18pm - Mr White flew over the mine in a helicopter and saw white, wispy smoke coming out of the ventilation shaft.
12.14pm - Daniel Duggan was in the control room when he noticed the power went down at 3.50pm. Mine manager Doug White was alerted and he went to the control room to find out what had happened. Mr White instructed the main gate not to let anyone in or out of the site.
12.09pm - The court is told there were three crews operating that shift. Crew A, B and C. They entered the mine at different times. Crew C entered the mine between 1pm and 1.30pm.
12.06pm - The court is told about a 'toolbox' where staff could raise concerns about the mine - it was a safety practice within the company.
12.05pm - The court hears more about the day-to-day running of the mine. On Friday, November 19, the shift started one hour earlier than the usual 2pm shift start. This was common practice, the court is told.
12.01pm - The history of the mine continues to be read as well as parts of a statement by Doug White.
11.56am - A history of Pike River Mine is being presented to the court and a computer-generated simulation of the mine layout has been played. A voiceover talks the courtroom through the various points of interest inside the mine.
11.51am - A statement by Pike River general manager Doug White is read to the court. Mr White is not present.
11.22am - The court has adjourned briefly.
11.18am - Expert medical opinion from Dr Robin Griffiths at the University of Otago was sought by police. He said the miners would have been unconscious almost immediately following the first explosion and would have remained unconscious until death shortly afterward, within minutes. The concentration of carbon monoxide would have been fatal, the court is told.
11.15am - On November 24, a group of experts headed by Ken Singer, an Australian mine ventilation expert, met to determine what happened on the day of the mine explosion. The group reported that explosions in underground mines ordinarily diminished the chances of survival; asphyxiation, poisoning, burns, and explosion blast waves could have been deadly.
11.12am - CCTV footage of the mine explosion from the main entrance is showed to the courtroom.
11.10am - Russell Smith says he remembers the pressure of the blast hitting him like a shotgun. He says the pressure kept coming and coming. He drove a drift runner down the main drift and smelt a strange smell and became disoriented.
11.07am - Daniel Rockhouse then came across Russell smith lying unconscious, and attempted to revive him. When it was unsuccessful he dragged him towards the entrance to the mine. When fresh air levels increased, Mr Smith regained consciousness and was aided by Mr Rockhouse out of the mine.
11.04am - Mr Knowles says Daniel Rockhouse said he saw a white flash and was blown off his feet, he was deafened by the explosion. He says he smelled smoke and carbon monoxide. He put on his self breather put was overcome by gas and collapsed unconscious, he says when he regained consciousness he couldn't get up properly, when he did he made his way to a fresh air pipe. He then found his way to a phone and called mine manager Doug White.
11.02am - The only people who have been able to give account of what happened on the day were Daniel Rockhouse and Russell Smith. Police interviewed both men who were underground at the time of the explosion and managed to escape.
11.00am - Mr Knowles says over the next four days, rescue services worked around the clock in the rescue operation. Throughout the operation, personnel safety was paramount. Police enquiries were focussed on ascertaining what had happened
10.058am - Mr Knowles says since the first explosion, no one has entered Pike River Mine. At 4.35pm on November 19, a call was made from Pike River to St John alerting them to an explosion at the mine. At 5.06pm a helicopter was on the way to the mine. Police and other emergency services worked through the night and by 4.30am a family welfare centre had been established, air and gas sampling was undertaken, fire services and mine rescue staff were on standby and Australian mine rescue personnel were en route.
10.53am - Mr Knowles reads out the names of some miners and the last contact each had with family members. Most of them last spoke to partners, wives, flatmates or girlfriends before leaving for work on the morning of November 19.
10.49 - Mr Knowles says a gas detector register showed some of the gas detectors had been signed out, but not returned. Using this register and other such registers, police were able to confirm the identities of the 29 men underground.
10.45 - As part of the general enquiries, police spoke to Daniel Rockhouse, one of the men who survived the explosion and also identified the next of kin of each of the men believed to be underground. Mr Knowles is now reading out the names of each of the 29 miners.
10.43am - Mr Knowles says at first the operation was a search and rescue operation and says police were the best organisation to undertake this role. The initial priorities were to acertain the number and identities of the people on the ground. Pike River Coal provided police with the names of the men who were believed to be underground at the time.
10.38am - Supt Knowles says at about 4.38pm on November 19 he was alerted to the situation at Pike River. He arrived at Pike River at 12.30am on November 20.
10.38am - Superintendent Gary Knowles takes the witness stand and takes the obligatory oath.
10.36am - Judge MacLean says this will not be an inquiry into the investigation; on the operations of the police or mine rescue staff.
10.35am - Judge MacLean says usually an inquest will go into the when, where, how and why's - this inquest will focus on the who, what, when and where. He says he will not be able to go far into the exact location; but will explain the cause of death and the time of death.
10.33am - Judge MacLean asks the media not to focus television cameras on individual family members for sensitivity purposes.
10.30am - Judge Neil MacLean has taken his seat. He apologises for starting late stating there were a "few loose ends to tidy up".
10.23am - Proceedings are yet to get underway. Chief Coroner Judge Neil MacLean is expected to give a verbal finding stating the time and cause of death of the 29 men.
10.09am - The inquest is scheduled to get underway shortly. Attendees are slowly filing into the courtroom. Two family representatives from each of the 29 miners killed in the Pike River mine explosions are allowed inside the courtroom. All other family members are able to watch proceedings via a video link.
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