A ROCK fall has raised safety concerns at Pike River Coal's mine on the West Coast, New Zealand.
The incident occurred in the mine’s ventilation shaft. The rock fall affected 30m near the bottom of the 108m shaft.
The company has delayed production at the site until the shaft is repaired. It is expected to release details in the next 10 days on the extent of delays and the cost of fixing the shaft.
The first export coal shipment from the mine, about 50km northeast of Greymouth, had been expected in April 2009. The miner claims the timing is unfortunate as it was just starting to plough through the ramp-up production period.
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