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Submitted by unname1 on Fri, 11/19/2010 - 16:01
Thirty-six coal miners were missing after an explosion tore through an underground mine on New Zealand's remote west coast Friday, triggering a major rescue operation, officials said.

The blast occurred at the Pike River coal mine, on the South Island's west coast, at about 4:30 pm (0330 GMT). Two miners survived but there had been no contact with any others, the mining company's chief executive said.

Police said a specialist mine rescue team was at the scene assessing how to reach the underground site of the explosion. The miners had started the afternoon shift about an hour beforehand.

"There are 36 tags still on the board at the mine. Those miners have not yet been heard from," a police spokeswoman said.

Pike River Coal chief executive Peter Whittall denied reports a body had been removed from the mine shaft, which lies at the heart of New Zealand's coal industry about 50 kilometres (31 miles) north-east of Greymouth.

The mine, which began production last year, has a 2.4 kilometre access tunnel running beneath the Paparoa mountain range to the coal seam.

Police said power was cut off by the blast, complicating the rescue operation at the remote location.

AFP

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