Up to six bodies intact in Pike River Mine - family

Anna Osborne (right), is comforted by her sister-in-law Sherryl Osborne, after a protest speech at Parliament in December last year. Photo/File

The wife of a man who died in the Pike River Mine claims video footage shows there are up to six bodies still intact inside.

Anna Osborne told The AM Show this morning that this is the evidence they need for a manned re-entry into the mine to proceed.

"There are a number of bodies, we're talking probably four, five, six at the moment, we're still going through footage, but at the request of the families at this stage we're not going to release those," Anna Osborne told The AM Show.

"But there are definitely loved ones' bodies fully intact."

Osborne lost her husband Milton in the disaster.

Twenty-nine men died in the explosion. Two were injured.

The families of the victims have been campaigning for re-entry so they can bring their loved ones home.

However, when questioned by Newstalk ZB this morning, Osborne said she couldn't confirm the number of bodies that were visible in the footage.

"There are a few bodies there, I don't want to put a number on it ... the inferno that the government were talking about hasn't completely destroyed a lot of stuff still in the mine.

"We've seen unscorched pellets and rubber hoses but there's also bodies that are fully in tact that some ministers would want you to believe that are ash and there's nothing to be retrieved."

She said there were families of the 29 loved ones who lost their lives who also needed to be shown the footage.

"There's some families that are opposed to body images ever being released and there are some that want them to be released. So we have to discuss things like this."

Osborne said she came across the images after being handed leaked footage by "someone who cares and wants the truth to be told".

"I'm sure the Government wants the families to go away and convince the rest of the public that there is nothing there to retrieve and we should all move on ... we can't just walk away and we are not going to walk away so we are going to continue to fight."

She had been buoyed by the support from the public in their bid to recover their loved ones bodies.

"It's actually really encouraging to know that we have a majority of people wanting some justice for the Pike River families and for the drift to be re-entered."