This is not the first time, terjebaknya human tragedies in the underground passageway. This time it happened in New Zealand. New Zealand rescuers in the mine where 29 miners still trapped which reinforces for the "possible loss of life," said the police for the first time today.
"We still remain optimistic, we are still keeping an open mind, but we plan for all the results and ... also the part of the process we are planning for a possible loss of life as a result of what happens underground, '" Inspector Gary Knowles said in a press conference this afternoon.
That is the assessment of most major rescue operation has not been from the opportunities opening track miners' survival after an explosion Friday at the Pike River coal mine in remote areas of New Zealand's South Island. Not an easy way to save human lives from there.
Previously, Knowles has emphasized that he was overseeing the search and rescue operations "with an emphasis pada''penyelamatan.
Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall said borehole drilled into the funnel is expected to be completed tonight.
Mr Whittall said the drilling, which started Sunday, has reached a depth of 135 meters and has about 25 meters left to go.
Hole 15 inches will be used to take air samples and channel laser imaging cameras and video equipment down to give a clearer picture of the situation. This hole is one way to find information on casualties.
But Whittall also admitted hope of finding survivors is fading.
"The reality is, for now the family is becoming more and more serious with every hour that happened the past,''he told reporters.
Further inspection shows today still hot underground, meaning too dangerous to send rescuers tonight.
Grey District Mayor Tony Kokshoorn said today the families of the trapped miners need to see some progress in the rescue efforts.
Mr Kokshoorn said he would be "disappointed''if no progress was made in efforts to rescue by tomorrow morning.
"We just need to be able to progress a little further,''he said." We need that just for the sake of family '.''
Mr Kokshoorn said the explosion of methane in the Pike River coal mine is the biggest tragedy to hit the close-knit community of Greymouth.
"That's one nightmare that you just have to deal with, we have no choice,''said Mr Kokshoorn.
"We must push on ... and not give up hope we are told otherwise.''
A busload of anxious relatives of 40 trapped miners left the meeting in downtown Greymouth this morning and take a one hour drive out to the remote mine site, in the Paparoa National Park.
They displayed a map of horizontal mine, taken on a tour of the site and observed the rescue operation round-the-clock.
"It just makes them feel better,''Mr Kokshoorn said the visit." They feel as if they were close to those things.
"The people that they love being down in the mine and give them a chance to be up there and be part of the rescue operation.
"The family, as you would expect, that finds it very difficult to cope with this situation.
"They are desperate as each day passed.''
There was no contact with 29 miners since the explosion at the mine, isolated underground, 46km northeast of Greymouth, on Friday.
They lost in the mine, including two Australians, two Britons, a South African and New Zealand 24.
Queenslanders William Joynson, 49, from the Fraser Coast, and Joshua Ufer, 27, from Townsville, was trapped with 27 other miners.
The miners, who ranged from age 17 years, believed to be on the first shift, his 62 years, estimated that only about 150 meters from the surface, but 2.5 miles from the mine entrance in the tunnel that runs under the Paparoa mountain range to the coal seam.
Mr Whittal forced today to defend the safety record of the mine, said it was operated as safely as possible in a dangerous environment.
Pike River mine Brunner tap coal seams in the rugged west coast of South Island, the source of high quality coking coal but one that also has a history of explosive methane gas associated with at least two other disasters in the area.
Mr Whittall said the mine has a system in place to minimize the risk of methane gas.
"It's certainly mine hazards, but to say it is prone to risk is by saying it happened before, or happen all the time. It's not,''he told reporters.
Mr Whittall, a career miner, said it was the first mine he worked where there has been an explosion.
"This is a unique event for this operation,''he said.
"What I will say though, is that at the time of the incident there was an unsafe situation. That goes without saying, otherwise it will not happen.
"He did not say mine was not operated safely.''
He said security personnel mines, Neville Rockhouse, has two sons working in the mine - one of them, Daniel, fled after the explosion on Friday, the other, Ben, are among those trapped.
"Neville did not allow us to work in the mines that are not safe,''said Mr Whittall.
Pike River mine using the tunnel runs 2.5 miles below the mountain to reach the layer of Brunner Paparoa, discovered in 1864 and is the foundation of the west coast of the coal mining industry.
In 1896, an explosion killed 65 miners in the mine Brunner in New Zealand's worst mining disaster.
In 1967 another explosion killed 19 people in the Strongman mine, located just across the Paparoa ranges from the Pike River.
David Bell, a geologist at the South Island Canterbury University, said the mistakes run through the funnel Pike River allowed methane to build up the bag and he doubted anyone survived the blast.
"It seems to me that there be an underground methane explosion that significant,''said Bell.
"I do not believe the people there have got hope. I've got to be honest, that people at least have managed to survive it, but I hope like hell they all survived.''
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