He calls Solid Energy's plans to permanently plug the mine with concrete "disgusting". Her other son, Ben, was among the victims. What I've decided is that it's because many, many New Zealanders still want to live in a country where when terrible things like the Pike River explosion happen, someone is held to account, justice is delivered, and people are supported. Pike River survivor Russell Smith and Pike River family members Sonya Rockhouse and Anna Osborne talk about an important milestone in the drift (mine access tunnel) recovery. He returned it to the person who serviced it because the accelerator was sticking. December 13, 2010: Pike River Coal placed in receivership. So this isn't just about our boys and what happened. Mine worker Bryan Heslip, Pike River widow Anna Osborne and mother Sonya Rockhouse after travelling 170m up the mine tunnel. "I still have dreams about it. READ MORE: * Pike River survivor five years on: 'I'm alive. April 18, 2019. A survivor of the Pike River disaster will not return from Australia for the mine recovery’s next major milestone. Nick Smith's announcement to delay the final closure of the mine was bittersweet for Daniel Rockhouse. One of only two men to survive the Pike River mine disaster is working in a Queensland mine and has now shared his tragic story of how the disaster tore apart his family. The mine is then to be pumped full of nitrogen to force out any methane gas, and allow experts to walk down a 2.3km shaft to a rockfall. 1 Min Read. They were in the stone access tunnel (drift), a distance from the pit bottom area where the main workplaces were located. Pike River survivor tells his story. As teams prepare for entry to Pike River, Daniel Rockhouse tells the story that changed his life. The team spent about 30 hours recovering it. Daniel Rockhouse rescued colleague Russell Smith from the access tunnel after the 2010 explosion, which killed 29 other men. However, there are a lot of unknowns between then and now.”. The mine was sold to Solid Energy, and we thought that in buying the mine the Government would finally keep its leader's word. As of July 2020 the recovery team has penetrated over 1.4 km into the mine and recovered four original rescue robots previously lost. Why wouldn't you give it a go?". Pike River father Bernie Monk, who is involved in a private investigation into the disaster said he wanted the evidence handled with extreme care in the hopes of a successful criminal prosecution. 5 minutes to read . But what happened on 19 November 2010 changed everything for me, for the other families, for New Zealand. October 25, 2012: Former CEO Peter Whittall pleads not guilty to 12 health and safety-related charges, and a trial date is set for March 2013. He and his fiancee live in Christchurch with his five-year-old daughter whom his then wife was carrying at the time of the disaster. Inside Pike River: Interactive graphic shows extent of disaster Russell Smith suffocated in the first explosion, only to survive - dragged out of the mine by Daniel Rockhouse. Through the day we sit and talk with the media, with people on facebook and email, and with the many supporters who make the journey up in person. Leaked Pike River Mine footage could prove there were survivors after first explosion. Peter Walker, Lee Glendinning and agencies. “We have done an extreme amount of work over the past 18 months. Twenty-nine men lost their lives, and their bodies have not been recovered. The Pike River Coal Company was formed in 1982 to hold exploration rights; in 1988 the company was bought by New Zealand Oil and Gas Ltd. A Pike River survivor says politicians need to put aside arguments about leaked video from the mine and just get the 29 bodies out. “Things have been progressing very well, and we’re hopeful that we might reach Pit Bottom in Stone by the end of August. As on any workday, men entered and left the mine at different times. Pike River survivor five years on: 'I'm alive. They're all so passionate about wanting to find out what exactly happened down there - even after everyone's telling them to get over it and move on, they've just refused to. (Video first published in August 2020). November 2015: Prime Minister John Key says "I don't think anyone in their right mind would say I should send another 15 men to their peril because some family members want their loved ones removed from the mine. Their names and details appear on pages 4–5 (see: Pike River mine memorial). "I believe that some of them survived and made an attempt to escape the mine. The sandflies are appreciating our company. People need to understand that the potential to reclaim the drift up to the rock fall safely is very real - what these protesters are saying is that there is potentially evidence in the drift that could lead to explaining to us all what actually caused the first blast. The loader driven by one of the two men to survive the Pike River Mine explosion 10 years ago was pulled out of the drift this week by the Pike River Recovery Agency underground team. A minute of silence, heavy with emotion, has been observed in Parliament to honour the 29 men who lost their lives in Pike River mine 10 years ago. So why couldn't they have tried to escape? October 2013: The first phase is completed, with 35 tonnes of debris removed from the mine. We waited and waited, and the Pike River Royal Commision of Inquiry found many massive failures behind the disaster that killed our boys. The Pike River Recovery Agency (PRRA) first re-entered the mine in May, after minister Andrew Little said the operation needed to take place to find … "If I was allowed to, I would walk up that mine right now just to find some answers.". … He'd like to sit down in a room with John Key. Pike River Coal chairman John Dow repeats police comments on the prospect of a rescue that night, saying it was unlikely to happen. Being underground makes him feel connected to his brother Ben Rockhouse, who died - along with 28 others - at Pike River. Sonya Rockhouse said reaching the loader vindicated families who had fought for justice for years. “If that hadn’t delayed me, I would have been up a lot further and you wouldn’t be talking to me today.”.