A borehole drilling investigation to gather footage inside the Pike River Mine has come to an end, with images taken over the past two years showing the remains of eight men.
The agency mining team puts a barrier 5m in front of the mine portal. Photo: Pike River Recovery Agency / Supplied
The criminal investigation into the mining disaster continues, with many families hopeful enough evidence has been gathered by police to lay charges.
The families were notified of the final images yesterday - obtained through the redrilling of a borehole in a roadway where three men were working when the mine exploded - which showed two sets of human remains.
Anna Osbourne, who chairs the family reference group, said the findings were not unexpected, but they had been a long time coming.
Anna Osbourne. Photo: RNZ / Rebekah Parsons-King
"I take comfort in the fact that where the police have found bodies, there are not great clusters of men so they obviously dropped where they fell when the explosion happened.
"I am looking at it myself as a comfort, knowing that they didn't suffer for very long at all after the first explosion, if not instantaneously, they died."
Her husband, Milton, was killed in the disaster. She said police efforts in the operation to drill boreholes and gather footage from inside the mine had been reassuring and she hoped it was enough for a prosecution.
"I'd like to see Peter Whittall plus three or four other people, I'd like to see them in a court of law - eyeballing the families in court we can actually see them and they have to explain to us what the hell happened and why didn't they stop it."
She expected it could be another 18 months before the police investigation was wrapped up, but was prepared to wait if it meant police could prove beyond reasonable doubt there was a case to be answered.
Rowdy Durbridge, who was working at Pike at the time of the explosion and whose son Daniel was among the 29 men who died, said it was never too late for justice.
"It's comforting to know going on the imagery that they weren't running around in fear and it appears it was quick."
He was also pleased to see police investigating the disaster and hoped there would be enough evidence for a prosecution.
"I reckon my boy - all the boys I worked with - would be proud of the work done by families and the agency and the police to help put this to rights. We're thankful of that work."
Detective Superintendent Peter Read said the most recent imagery was a significant discovery, but left many unanswered questions for the men's loved ones.
Detective Superintendent Peter Read Photo: RNZ / Samantha Gee
"As I've noted previously, the search for answers over the last 11 years has been a long and painful journey for the families of the 29 men lost at the mine."
He said the drilling operation had provided police with valuable information for the investigation into the underground activity that led to the first explosion.
Work on the criminal investigation is expected to continue for some time.
