Trauma may stop Pike River survivors returning to mines

Pike River miner Daniel Rockhouse, who escaped the blast, is hugged by his uncle. Photo / Mark Mitchell

Even if the Pike River Coal mine in which 29 miners were killed can be re-opened, many of the surviving workforce may not be willing to return underground, an expert in the mental trauma associated with disasters and terrorism says.

The head of a special unit at the University of Western Sydney's medical school Professor Beverley Raphael said the mine workers might not want to work in the mine again.

The miners might also need to re-train and that would need to be taken into account in their support.

"That's what frequently happens after something like this. Some people will not go down again, and their families will not want them to go down again.

"There will be a lot of people dealing with survivor guilt and conversely a lot of anger as well from people," she said.

"They will be thinking: "why my loved one? Why wasn't it someone else?

Prof Raphael, who has led mental health responses for victims of rail disasters, earthquakes, bombings, tsunami and bushfires, said the fact that many victims came from small communities such as Greymouth (population 9400) and Runanga - which between them lost 20 men - made things harder.

"In a small community, the whole community is affected. These people are intimately connected, many of them have been there their whole lives and grown up with each other."

Prof Raphael said if the mine was not able to keep paying its workers the communities would take a big economic hit in addition to the human toll.

She said that once the disaster dropped off the front pages of newspapers people in the mining communities might feel abandoned.

"It is really important that people keep in touch with this community.

"The real grief and pain will actually come over time."

Self-help was the best way to recovery, and in the early period people needed to stay united: "The shared grief will bring them together".

"The support needs to be there for them, but it shouldn't be forced ... it's no good pushing counselling or anything similar onto them."

In some cases, people might need help with practical things, and the Government should consider providing family liaison officers to cut through the bureaucracy, and to touch base with the family regularly.

"The support needs to be there for them, but it shouldn't be forced on them."

New Zealanders commonly found it hard to accept help, though the families were proud and independent people they were likely to need some outside financial assistance from the mining community and other New Zealanders.

Prof Raphael noted that not only the families of victims were suffering: many of the people who had worked to mount a rescue bid would have also suffered anger and helplessness.

An account has been opened to accept donations at branches of the ANZ and The National Bank for the families of the dead miners, and the bank has itself donated $100,000.

Skylight, a not-for-profit trust, has launched an internet page to provide support for people affected by the disaster. The page can be found at the website www.skylight.org.nz.

- NZPA