It could take weeks for a GAG unit to put out a coal fire in the Pike River mine, police say.

"Our lives changed forever" when the Pike River Mine exploded, the mining company chief executive told mourners today.

2010 can only described as an annus calamitosus [disastrous year] for the New Zealand family.

In the wake of the Pike River tragedy, PhD student Jesse Dykstra blogs on the mining industry and the associated risks

An Australian expert was arriving in Greymouth tonight to provide advice on the jet engine GAG operation at the ill-fated Pike River Coal mine, where it's "highly likely" part of a coal seam has caught fire.

Another explosion shortly before 2pm today damaged some of the infrastructure at Pike River mine, but a "gagging" operation is still on track to commence tomorrow.

The Pike River blast has led some miners to discuss whether it is safe to remain in the industry.

Leigh Hart, aka That Guy, shares a very personal account of how mining disasters can affect families.

An NZ Mines Rescue member wants the public to understand what the rescue team members are going through.

Broadcaster Maggie Barry, whose cousin Michael Monk was lost at the Pike River mine, understands when people asked counsellors "funny" questions.

The riches of the Paparoa Range were enticing, but the cost of extracting them was greater than anyone imagined, writes Grant Bradley

Superintendent Gary Knowles has been at the helm of the Pike River disaster, unable to provide answers to the questions the world wanted answered. Next, delivering news no one wanted to hear.

The face of the country's worst mining disaster since 1914, Pike River CEO Peter Whittall, has fronted in the most trying of circumstances.

Experts suggest a split-second gas outburst may have overwhelmed the Pike River miners before they could respond to any alarms.

Jim Anderton seems to have made it his personal mission to end the life-and-death lottery that working in underground mines has entailed.

A Westport man has told how he and three others ran for their lives when the Pike River Coal mine exploded at 2.37pm on Wednesday.