Saturday, 4 December 2010 - 4:07pm |
National News

GAG engine continues operation at Pike River mine

1 min read

Operation of the GAG machine has continued throughout Saturday at the Pike River mine.

The GAG has been operating continuously since 10pm on Wednesday other than shutdowns for essential maintenance.

Monitoring of gas and temperature levels in the mine is also continuing.

The GAG will continue working for the rest of the weekend.

Dr David Cliff of the University of Queensland has also been back at the mine site today.

He's described the mine as one of the most challenging he's had to deal with in terms of the terrain, isolation and access.

Dr Cliff also spoke at a family briefing late yesterday afternoon where he explained more about the operation of the GAG.

Superintendent Gary Knowles said the operation continues to be a long one:

"Clearly the fire must be extinguished before the next steps can happen in making the mine safe to enter"

ENDS

Police media contact in Greymouth: 027 501 5742

Editors please note Police still do not anticipate holding any news conferences over the weekend unless there are significant developments to report.