By Laura Frykberg
Police have released information detailing how much was spent on the search, rescue and recovery operation for the 29 men who died at the Pike River mine last year.
Nearly $11 million was spent attempting to recover the men, whose bodies are still trapped in the mine.
Of that, drilling boreholes into the mine cost more than $400,000, engineering and equipment cost just under $900,000, more than $1 million was spent on rescue teams from here and Australia, more than $800,000 was spent on hiring helicopters, and other costs, including food and stationary, were more than $700,000.
Those costs will come from the police budget which is allocated by the Government. Police say despite the high cost, it won't affect other services they provide. But when you include the cost of the Christchurch earthquake, it's safe to say the police have had an expensive seven months.
However it was the GAG machine which was the most expensive item, costing more than $4.5 million dollars in total.
The machine was deployed to neutralise the air in the mine to allow rescue workers to retrieve the men. However it eventually failed, leaving families still hoping their men will one day be recovered.
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