Mine explosion: 25 charges filed

Pete Rodger, 40, from Perthshire, and Malcolm Campbell, 25, from St Andrews, Fife, were among the men killed in the Pike River tragedy last year.

New Zealand’s labour department said the charges are against three parties, but declined to name them or detail the exact charges.

Officials added that the country’s restrictive rules on releasing information in court proceedings could apply to the case. Each of the charges carries a maximum fine of $250,000 NZD (£122,000).

The Pike River coal mine, in Atarau on the country’s South Island, was rocked by an explosion on 19 November last year, trapping the 29 men.

A second major explosion five days later dashed hopes that any of the workers had survived.

According to an inquest, the men would have died within minutes from asphyxiation caused by toxic gas.

An official investigation into the disaster is continuing, but the labour department needed to file the charges before the inquiry concluded to comply with a one-year statute of limitations rule.

During the inquiry, experts have been critical of the mine’s single entrance and its ventilation system, which some said was inadequate to properly rid the mine of volatile gases such as methane.

Others have testified that the Pike River company was facing financial pressures and might have cut corners as a result.

Pike River Coal was forced into bankruptcy in the weeks following the disaster and the mine remains up for sale.

The government has stipulated that any buyer must try to recover the bodies of the 29 miners, which remain trapped in the mine, amid fears that the atmosphere inside is still unstable.

The father of Malcolm Campbell, Malcolm snr, was told in January that the body of his son might never be recovered. He said: “I always felt that this day was going to come. It’s just an angry mine and it’s just not going to give them up. There was always talk about sealing the mine up, so really it’s just been a case of time spent waiting.

“It’s a funny thing to say, but Mother Nature has prevailed I think.”

A memorial service for Malcolm jnr was held in St Andrews on 28 January, which would have been his 26th birthday. It was attended by his fiancée Amanda Shields, a New Zealander. They had been due to marry just weeks after the disaster. At the funeral service the minister, Dr Alan McDonald, said: “People like Malcolm bring friendship, fun, warmth and beautiful good humour to a world all too short of them.”

Two hundred guests wearing tartan attended a memorial service for Pete Rodger, held at St Matthews Church, Perth in December.

Mr Rodger, who came from Perth, had recently returned from being best man at a friend’s wedding in the Caribbean.

He moved to New Zealand two years ago and met girlfriend Dianne Morris.

Friend Barney Black told the congregation. “He was genuinely a one-off, a great guy and a great man. I’m proud and honoured to call him a friend.”

In New Zealand, some 11,000 people attended a remembrance service for the Pike River miners.

Prince William also attended a memorial service during his visit to the country in March.