On air: Tragedy in New Zealand

I cannot help sympathizing very deeply with the families of these miners. The example of the Chileans must have given them supreme hope for the best - only for this to happen. My prayers go to these grieving homes that they will have the fortitude to bear this huge loss.

May the souls of the departed rest in peace.

My heart sunk when I heard this news late last night. My thoughts are with the families of the miners.

I wish to express my deepest condolences to the bereaved families and the country as a whole.Such tragedies occur to strengthen our faith in God and to also remind us of our fragile nature as human beings no matter where we are and what we do.It could have been anybody at all irrespective of race,age,gender,name it.
It is also a wake up call on humanity to be each other's keeper,to do good to all who may be in need of them.
Once again,I say "Me ma mo yaako" which is an expression of condolence in my native language.

The families of the twenty-nine miners would be going through an excruciating time. All their hopes have been dashed by this second explosion. Losing close family members, especially bread-winners, in an accident like this is horrific to the core. Our deepest condolences go to the families of the miners killed in this tragedy.

Words are never enough at times like these. I'm keeping the community, and especially those who lost family and friends, in my heart and my prayers.

It is very sad. We, as a society, have accepted, even if only tacitly, that our consumption is worth the cost to the environment, to the fabric of society and, as so tragically in this case, to the loved-ones of the miners. Industry, government and our own willful blindness do their best to hide the indirect costs, but we must inform ourselves and make choices that consider the real effects of our consumption. No doubt, many or all of the miners were glad to have a job and would have acknowledged and accepted the inherent danger, but it says something about society, just as surely as it does around a Nigerian oil field or the Mississippi delta, that we can put men, and their families, into such perilous conditions in exchange for the resources we want.

My thoughts and prayers go out to these families. The loss of a loved one is difficult anytime. After the miracle of the Chile Miners, I think we were all hoping for a second miracle.

I offer my most sincere condolences to the families of these twenty-nine miners, and as well to the families of those who have died one by one in the depths without the world taking notice.
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A mining community knows the risk when their men leave for work, and it knows the difficulty of rescue after a cave-in, or worse yet, an explosion, BUT on the heels of Chile's success and the Chinese success following after, hope had to be buoyed past what families' normal reason would otherwise expect. Greymouth is a double tragedy for New Zealand and for the world; not only have these fathers and sons been lost, but all of us must come to grips with the true reality of underground mining - Chile was an anomaly, not a new man-over-nature paradigm. I am so sorry for the loss and the pain of the miners' families.
Citizens of the world must challenge mining companies to put the safety of miners' first and company profits second. Boycotting any products made with the minerals of a mine where lives are lost would be a first step to make it worth mining companies' while to maximize mine safety and do it transparently.

It is heartbreaking when lives are lost and loved ones depart. Thoughts and prayers to the families of these and every other family that has lost loved ones.

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My sincerest condolences to the families of those lost!

I find it sad that in this day and age, with all the automation that man has created, we still send good people underground into lethal situations.

If we can spend billions on UAV's for killing, we should be able to spend millions on a piece of equipment that will let a miner, control a robot for mining, from a safe place.

The lose of good people like these men should not happen!

It is probably impossible to know what these miners have seen, and shows the dangers people face to fuel our extremely privileged lives. This incident shows that the world's dependence on energy can have effects you wouldn't initially see. Everyone should however show support to the families of the miners regardless of their view on this.

I have worked a mile deep into a mountain in a hard rock mine. So you New Zealand folks get my tears and sympathies. My heart is with you.

Its a dangerous job anywhere in the world.All miners know the risks before they take on the work.My wife's grandfather was killed in a mining accident in the UK in the 1930's and even then it was an accepted risk you took.Until safer ways can be used to extract coal etc;men will always be required to risk life and limb.Its no comfort to those families who have lost loved ones and nothing will replace that loss.