It’s late in New Zealand but I’ve been trying to get through to people in Greymouth, the tiny town that’s just heard the tragic news that all 29 miners are believed to have been killed in a second explosion.
Your comments
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19:04
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Thanks for all your comments and thoughts today. We''ll be back tomorrow, same time.
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18:53
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Abdulkadir: It's indeed a sad moment to the mining industries & the world at large. Although mining is inevitable due to man's eagerness to satisfy his worldly needs, governments and all stakeholders should review the existing safety measures to mitigate such tragic loss of lives.
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18:50
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Jean: I live in Cleveland, Ohio but have been actively involved in work to stop the terrible practice of mountaintop removal mining. Coal companies are using explosives to blow off the top 500 feet of a mountain to extract the coal inside and, in the process, bury and contaminate rivers and headwater streams. This type of mining because it is highly mechanized, is putting hardworking coal miners out of work. Coal companies come into towns in rural West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, rape them of their valuable resources, and leave behind empty ghost towns, entire communities destroyed.
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18:45
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Thabale: I don't know much about mining but couldn't it be mechanised in situations like this one? I know people could jobs but if drones (UAVs) can be flown from the saftey of a laptop why can't the same be done with mining considering the money generated?
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18:43
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Olivene, Kingston, Jamaica: why it is that we have developed robotic technology to explore the moon and other planets, yet we don't deploy some of that scientific thinking closer to home and use it to harness the world's resources? We are having too many of these mining tragedies: there have been accidents in Chile, China and now New Zealand in recent weeks!
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18:41
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Victor: To all the mines owners all over the world try to create a robot machine to digg the mine rather than the humen beings because it causes great loss to the company and the same for the state.
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18:37
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Manuel: So much danger, yet miners are always poorly paid. Infact, no one seems to care unless something bad happens. This is not the first time, and certainly not be the last. Many more will die in future.
Comment sent via SMS
18:35
114295205
It is now that i started respecting those individuals who risk their lives to work in the bowels of the mother earth, to make our lives easy and comfortable. Mustapha Kawoje. Nigeria.
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18:36
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Beliot: Once again the tragedy of our generation as we battle in the race for dwindling resources. When will we learn?
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18:34
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Yue She: Some things just happens and we can do nothing about it so it is unfair to compare this to the Chile incident. Sometimes we are just in a wrong place wrong time. Condolences to their families
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18:32
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Ody: It's a tragedy, but I imagine they made peace with this possibility before they took the job. Can we afford to stop mining? It's a catch-22 to me.
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18:25
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Mark: Very deepest sympathies to all the miners' families involved in this disaster. A sad day indeed. We in Zimbabwe know what it is like. On the 19 June 1972 in what was then Wankie in Rhodesia, 472 coal miners died in a methane explosion at Wankie Colliery, one of the world's worst disasters.
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18:23
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Gary, Dubai: This is another terrible tragedy for the mining industry. This and recent mining incidents highlight how hazardous this occupation really is. My heartfelt condolences go out to all who have lost loved ones and friends.
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18:18
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Kwame: Its been sad day for me. Those of us involved in the small scale mining get scared when we hear of such accidents. I have not been well as i sit watching these workers at work without some safety gadgets and working with very crude implements
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18:16
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A sad day indeed for New Zealand... and the world.
Allen: A good time to check similar mines so it dosent happen again.
Many mine mishaps are not reported, it would be good to put together stats and see the frequency of these happening around the world. Are safety regulations being cut?
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18:14
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Andy: Regardless of nationality, miners are brothers and sisters. When the chips are down you will do anything for a crew member. Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved.
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18:13
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Raewyn: Even now, I can't help but hope they can get the team in there ASAP and they find a survivor. Even one.
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18:10
114548678
My sincerest condolences to all. I’m not a miner, but I’m sure mining as a profession is being questioned. Alex in Chicago USA
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18:10
114976156
I will always synpatise and praying for the People of Newziland for those Miners trapped under groud until everything is OK for them God bless and protect Mohamed Bawa Free Town@
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18:09
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Gordon: Should we really give up hope? No. Let's get a rescue team down there - if anything should be learned from the Chilean mine incident it is that miracles can and do happen.
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18:06
108513545
All one can say is, God Bless . No blame, no recrimination, only sorrow.... Banks, amsterdam
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17:53
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Hi. It''s Simon. We''ll be on air shortly reflecting on the tragic news from New Zealand. We''ll be speaking to people who knew the Greymouth miners. Your messages are welcome. We''ll also talk to people involved in mining around the world. Is the job too dangerous?
Tragedy in New Zealand
| Wednesday, 11 Nov. 2010 | 18:06 - 19:00 GMT
It’s late in New Zealand but I’ve been trying to get through to people in Greymouth, the tiny town that’s just heard the tragic news that all 29 miners are believed to have been killed in a second explosion.
Your comments
Comment sent via host
Thanks for all your comments and thoughts today. We''ll be back tomorrow, same time.
Comment sent via Facebook
Abdulkadir: It's indeed a sad moment to the mining industries & the world at large. Although mining is inevitable due to man's eagerness to satisfy his worldly needs, governments and all stakeholders should review the existing safety measures to mitigate such tragic loss of lives.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Jean: I live in Cleveland, Ohio but have been actively involved in work to stop the terrible practice of mountaintop removal mining. Coal companies are using explosives to blow off the top 500 feet of a mountain to extract the coal inside and, in the process, bury and contaminate rivers and headwater streams. This type of mining because it is highly mechanized, is putting hardworking coal miners out of work. Coal companies come into towns in rural West Virginia and Eastern Kentucky, rape them of their valuable resources, and leave behind empty ghost towns, entire communities destroyed.
Comment sent via Facebook
Thabale: I don't know much about mining but couldn't it be mechanised in situations like this one? I know people could jobs but if drones (UAVs) can be flown from the saftey of a laptop why can't the same be done with mining considering the money generated?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Olivene, Kingston, Jamaica: why it is that we have developed robotic technology to explore the moon and other planets, yet we don't deploy some of that scientific thinking closer to home and use it to harness the world's resources? We are having too many of these mining tragedies: there have been accidents in Chile, China and now New Zealand in recent weeks!
Comment sent via Facebook
Victor: To all the mines owners all over the world try to create a robot machine to digg the mine rather than the humen beings because it causes great loss to the company and the same for the state.
Comment sent via Facebook
Manuel: So much danger, yet miners are always poorly paid. Infact, no one seems to care unless something bad happens. This is not the first time, and certainly not be the last. Many more will die in future.
Comment sent via SMS
It is now that i started respecting those individuals who risk their lives to work in the bowels of the mother earth, to make our lives easy and comfortable. Mustapha Kawoje. Nigeria.
Comment sent via Facebook
Beliot: Once again the tragedy of our generation as we battle in the race for dwindling resources. When will we learn?
Comment sent via Facebook
Yue She: Some things just happens and we can do nothing about it so it is unfair to compare this to the Chile incident. Sometimes we are just in a wrong place wrong time. Condolences to their families
Comment sent via Facebook
Ody: It's a tragedy, but I imagine they made peace with this possibility before they took the job. Can we afford to stop mining? It's a catch-22 to me.
Comment sent via Facebook
Mark: Very deepest sympathies to all the miners' families involved in this disaster. A sad day indeed. We in Zimbabwe know what it is like. On the 19 June 1972 in what was then Wankie in Rhodesia, 472 coal miners died in a methane explosion at Wankie Colliery, one of the world's worst disasters.
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Gary, Dubai: This is another terrible tragedy for the mining industry. This and recent mining incidents highlight how hazardous this occupation really is. My heartfelt condolences go out to all who have lost loved ones and friends.
Comment sent via Facebook
Kwame: Its been sad day for me. Those of us involved in the small scale mining get scared when we hear of such accidents. I have not been well as i sit watching these workers at work without some safety gadgets and working with very crude implements
Comment sent via Facebook
A sad day indeed for New Zealand... and the world. Allen: A good time to check similar mines so it dosent happen again. Many mine mishaps are not reported, it would be good to put together stats and see the frequency of these happening around the world. Are safety regulations being cut?
Comment sent via YOURSAY
Andy: Regardless of nationality, miners are brothers and sisters. When the chips are down you will do anything for a crew member. Our thoughts and prayers are with all involved.
Comment sent via Facebook
Raewyn: Even now, I can't help but hope they can get the team in there ASAP and they find a survivor. Even one.
Comment sent via SMS
My sincerest condolences to all. I’m not a miner, but I’m sure mining as a profession is being questioned. Alex in Chicago USA
Comment sent via SMS
I will always synpatise and praying for the People of Newziland for those Miners trapped under groud until everything is OK for them God bless and protect Mohamed Bawa Free Town@
Comment sent via Facebook
Gordon: Should we really give up hope? No. Let's get a rescue team down there - if anything should be learned from the Chilean mine incident it is that miracles can and do happen.
Comment sent via SMS
All one can say is, God Bless . No blame, no recrimination, only sorrow.... Banks, amsterdam
Comment sent via host
Hi. It''s Simon. We''ll be on air shortly reflecting on the tragic news from New Zealand. We''ll be speaking to people who knew the Greymouth miners. Your messages are welcome. We''ll also talk to people involved in mining around the world. Is the job too dangerous?