GREYMOUTH, New Zealand (Reuters) – Efforts to rescue 29 men trapped in a New Zealand coal mine faced more agonising delays today when authorities said they would drill a new shaft to test air quality because toxic gases made it too dangerous for rescue teams go in.
There has been no contact with the miners since an explosion ripped through the colliery on the rugged west coast of New Zealand’s South Island on Friday afternoon, with authorities saying they would not enter until the air quality improved.
