Labour Department investigators are asking for more time to decide whether to prosecute over the fatal Pike River Mine explosions.

All 29 men lost in the Pike River disaster died within minutes of the first blast in the West Coast coal mine, a coronial inquest into the disaster has concluded.

The man charged with overseeing the Pike River mine smelled diesel or exhaust in the air about the time it was hit with an explosion that killed 29 men.

The 29 workers who died in the Pike River disaster would have died within minutes of the original explosion at the West Coast coal mine, a coronial hearing in Greymouth has heard.

Unscrupulous reporters have tried posing as victim support workers to gain access to distressed families, reports the Greymouth Star.

Signs have been erected around Greymouth in support of the 29 miners and contractors trapped in the Pike River mine.

These photos tell the story of this tragic event, and of its impact on those involved.

The backgrounds of the missing men are as wide and varied as their ages, hailing from as far abroad as Scotland and Africa. Meet the miners.

West Coast mine blast survivor suffers a double tragedy after his brother was trapped, and his grandfather died.