Victim's family lash out at Pike mine operators

William Joynson. Photo / Supplied

BRISBANE - The family of Queenslander Willy Joynson has lashed out at the operators of the New Zealand mine where he's presumed to have perished alongside 28 other miners.

Mr Joynson's cousin Russell Joynson says operators will face some tough questions about why dangerous levels of gas were not detected before last Friday's initial blast.

"This should never have happened. There are some pretty serious questions that will be asked of their monitoring system," Mr Joynson, who has worked in mines for 25 years, told AAP today.

"With the equipment available today this could have been prevented."

He said that if gas levels at the Pike River Coal Mine near Greymouth had been constantly monitored the disaster might never have happened.

Willy Joynson, 49, from Maryborough in southern Queensland, and Josh Ufer, 25, from Townsville in the state's north, are among those presumed lost after a second blast tore through the mine on Wednesday.

The miners had been missing since an initial explosion on Friday.

Mr Joynson's wife Kim and their two sons, aged 10 and 13, were at the mine site when police broke the grim news, Mr Joynson said.

He said the family was in shock and was braced for what might be a long wait to have his body brought home for burial.

"The recovery of the bodies is not going to happen soon. It will be a lengthy period," he said.

"The mine may have to, even, be sealed off for some time to fully extinguish the fire or ignition source.

"It's no place to leave your loved ones down in a mine. It's paramount for them to have Willy brought to the surface so they can, at least, put some closure to it."

He said the family was yet to fully process what had happened but he believed court action would result from the mine disaster.

Fraser Coast Mayor Mick Kruger said a public memorial would likely be held for Mr Joynson, after consultation with his family.

He said the miner was well known on the Fraser Coast. The Maryborough suburb of Tinana, where the family was due to return to live in the new year, would rally around his family.

"It's a cruel end to a young family and no doubt many of Willy's family and friends will still be in shock," he told AAP.

He said Mr Joynson's death was also being felt keenly at Howard, where the Joynsons were a founding family.

"They are a very close-knit community out there and I'd say they'd all be thinking of his wife Kim and their two youngsters.

"He's only 49 and he's been a hard worker all his life. He's got his family on their feet, got his own home and now this happens."

Townsville Mayor Les Tyrell said the community was praying for the family of Mr Ufer, who was born and bred in Charters Towers.

"Our prayers with you, as the family, as you go through the grieving process in this case," he told the ABC.

Mr Ufer's father Karl Ufer spent Wednesday afternoon with mates at Charters Towers' Enterprise Hotel, slowly coming to terms with the loss of his only son, the Townsville Bulletin reported.

He described his son as an "outgoing, fun-loving sort of guy with a heart as big as a horse".

Flags at all government buildings in Queensland will fly at half mast on Thursday in honour of the lost miners.

- AAP