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It's pretty grim, I think. The explosion occurred at 3.45pm on Friday afternoon NZ time (about 72 hours ago). The mine is 2.5km (about 1.5 miles) long, but actually tunnels uphill into a hill, so is only about 150m below ground level.
There are 29 miners missing. Two, who were somewhat closer to the surface when the explosion occurred managed to crawl out about 1.5 hours later. Unfortunately the levels of methane and carbon monoxide are too high to send rescue teams in, as there is a huge risk of further explosions which could affect both rescuers and those who are missing. They are currently trying to drill into the tunnel to test the air where the missing may be, and also to put a camera down and see inside the tunnel. They are also sending a robot into the mine to investigate further.
Coal mining is a hugely dangerous business and all we can do is hold onto hope.
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