NEWZEALAND: 29 miners trapped after explosion

Three Britons were believed to be among 29 men at the centre of a search and rescue mission today after a huge explosion at a New Zealand coal mine left them trapped deep underground.

One was said to be a Scotsman and the two others were from Yorkshire.They had been working there for over a year.

The miners were entombed after a powerful gas blast struck at the Pike River Coal Mine in Atarau, on South Island, yesterday

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Wrecked: Black smoke leads from an air vent leading from the mine cut in to the mountain at the Pike River, near Atarau, New Zealand

One of the missing Britons is understood to be Pete Rodger, 40, from Perthshire.The former grammar pupil emigrated to New Zealand two years ago to be near his mother and sister who live there, according to the Courier newspaper. 

He was formerly an offshore oil engineer.

The Foreign Office confirmed that two Britons had been reported missing in the incident. 'Both are residents in New Zealand and both families have been offered consular assistance,' a spokesman said.

Friends of family members said that a number of miners who were made redundant when coal mines in Britain closed looked for similar jobs overseas. It is understood that some of the men found work in the coal mines of New Zealand's south island.

Today the rescue operation was hampered by fears that dangerous gas could trigger a second explosion. It is not known if the miners - who have now been missing for more than 24 hours - are alive or dead.

Video from the scene showed blackened trees and light smoke billowing from the top of the rugged mountain where the mine is sited.

Two injured men stumbled to the surface hours after the blast shot up the 354ft (108m) ventilation shaft. They were taken to a hospital for treatment to light injuries.

'They're being interviewed and we're trying to determine the full nature of the incident,'  said Pike River chief executive Peter Whittall.

'We can't risk sending men into the mine until we know exactly what (the quality of the gas) is.'.

Fearful: A relative wipes away a tear as he waits for news of a loved one trapped underground

Nothing had been heard from the 16 employees and 13 contract miners since the blast and repeated attempts to contact them had failed.

Messages of support and offers of assistance were last night flooding in from all across the world.

Mr Whittall said officials would have enough information later to decide whether a rescue team can go in, adding that the missing miners would have to deal with such hazards as air pollution, high levels of methane and carbon dioxide, and low levels of oxygen

Electricity went out shortly before the explosion and it is feared the power cut may have caused ventilation problems and contributed to a build-up of gas.

Families of the missing men and the local community were said to be 'grief-stricken'

'It's not good news at all,' said Tony Kokshoorn, the mayor of Greymouth,  30 miles from the mine.

'We don't know at what depth the explosion is but there's certainly a big explosion. With a bit of luck, things might be OK.' Family members of the missing men have now gathered in the town.

They have been kept away from questions about the miners but a friend of one of the families said: 'It's just terrible for everyone, though, no matter who you are.

'Not many of us have got much sleep during the night.'

Pike River has operated since 2008, mining a seam with 58.5 million tons of coal, the largest-known deposit of hard coking coal in New Zealand, according to its website.

The mine is not far from the site of one of New Zealand's worst mining disasters - an underground explosion in the state-owned Strongman Mine on January 19, 1967, which killed 19 workers.

Police area commander John Canning said details were still sparse but initial reports suggested those still in the mine could be up to 5,000 feet (1,500 meters) underground.

Energy Minister Gerry Brownlee said emergency exit tunnels were built into the mine but that he didn't know if they could be accessed by the miners.

St. John Ambulance service have three rescue helicopters and six ambulances heading for the scene.

The Red Cross has set up a mobile medical centre ready to handle any survivors of the mine blast

The coal seam is about 200 meters underground and is reached through a horizontal tunnel 1.4 miles (2.3 kilometers) in length. One vertical ventilation shaft rises 354 feet (108 meters) from the tunnel to the surface, according to the company's website. 

This was blocked by falling rocks within the shaft in early 2009, delaying mining for months.