GREYMOUTH — 2010 · Major Tragedy
Pike River Mine Disaster
On the afternoon of 19 November 2010 a methane explosion ripped through the Pike River coal mine near Greymouth on the South Island's West Coast, killing 29 miners. Further explosions in the following days prevented rescuers from entering. The Royal Commission report of November 2012 found that the mining regulation system had failed to prevent the accident, and the Minister of Labour stepped down from the portfolio. The company was convicted, but in 2017 the Supreme Court ruled that dropping charges against the chief executive in exchange for a payment had been unlawful. The mine was re-entered in 2019; recovery work ended in February 2021.
- Date
- 2010
- Place
- West Coast, New Zealand, Greymouth, NZ
- Category
- Major Tragedy
- Case Status
- Closed
- Coordinates
- -42.2000, 171.4800 ↗
Timeline of Events
- 19 November 2010A methane explosion killed 29 miners.
- 24 November 2010After a second explosion there was accepted to be no survivors.
- 5 November 2012The Royal Commission report was published.
- 23 November 2017The Supreme Court ruled the dropping of charges unlawful.
- 21 May 2019Re-entry of the mine began.
- 17 February 2021Recovery work ended.
Sources
- The Guardian — All 29 miners in New Zealand believed dead after second blast theguardian.com ↗
- CNN — 29 miners confirmed dead after New Zealand mine explosion edition.cnn.com ↗
- Wikipedia — Pike River Mine disaster en.wikipedia.org ↗
- The Guardian
- CNN
- Wikipedia
Source grade A: several independent sources, at least one an official record or reference work. If you spot a mistake or something missing, report it with "Suggest a correction" in the app.
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🕯️ This record was prepared with respect, in memory of those who lost their lives.