Two miners have emerged from the Pike River Mine near Greymouth on New Zealand's West Coast.
Police say one of the pair is the loader driver who was discovered by the electrician who entered the mine to investigate a power outage.
The two miners indicated three of their colleagues were also on their way to the surface.
The mine entrance is about 2.2km long and then branches out into sub areas.
There is concern that ventilation inside the mine shaft may be compromised by the power outage.
At this stage there is no indication of the cause of the blast.
ends
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Kaye Calder
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