New Zealand is a small country.
We don't have many underground mines, and thank God we don't often have
disasters which kill a number of people at once.
But this week the whole country is mourning the 29 men who died in a coal-mine calamity
on the West Coast of the South Island.
16 miners and 13 contractors became trapped in the mine after a large methane-fuelled
explosion on November 19. A second bigger explosion on Wednesday of this week
put an end to any hopes that the men had survived.
And a third, smaller explosion rocked the mine yesterday, just five minutes
before the time of the first explosion a week before.
Most of the men who died were New Zealanders, but there were also Brits, Australians,
a South African. And in a country as small and sparsely populated as this, everybody
knows someone who has lost a son, a husband, a friend.
Last night, U2 were performing in Auckland, and made a moving tribute to the lost men by
posting all of their names above the stage as they sang their song One Tree Hill, which was
written to commemorate the death of their Kiwi roadie and Bono's PA, Greg Carroll.
Rest in peace,
and may those who are left behind find comfort
in the love of their friends and families,
and consolation in their memories of you.
Arohanui
Alexia
Thanks for the tribute to the miners. It was very nice. In the US, people just see stuff like this on the news and get on with their days.
ReplyDeleteIt's neat that, even though this was a terrible tragedy, it can still bring together an entire nation to comfort each other as family. 9/11/2001 was a day that brought Americans together.
Thanks for dropping by, Hanny, and for your comments.
ReplyDeleteA beautiful, moving post! A fine tribute to these men and their families!
ReplyDeleteMy condolences to the friends and families of the lost miners. That is a beautiful, and moving, post in their honor.
ReplyDeleteI read about the miners and couldn't believe something like this was happening again... after all the Chilean miners had just been rescued prior to your New Zealand ones being trapped...A well written tribute, Alexia...
ReplyDeleteWhen I first heard about this I thought of you, and hoped nobody you knew were a part of this. Sadly our country spoke little of this (unlike the very heavily reported Chile miners) No matter where such a tragic thing occurs there are people who suffer, and my prayers go out to all those closely touched by this...thank you for such a detailed accounting, your voice was necessary, and the photos depicted the pain and the remembrance.
ReplyDeletea beautiful tribute...
ReplyDeleteto such a tragedy...
my heart and thoughts go out to all the miners and their families...
Thank you all for your comments.
ReplyDeleteA sad time for all concerned.
Thank you for this important reminder to honor those who sacrifice for the rest of us. Miners put their lives on the line every day so that we may have power and raw materials that underpin the entire economy. Life as we know it would grind to a halt if they didn't do what they do.
ReplyDeleteIt cuts to the core whenever we lose even one. So disasters like these that slice through entire communities hurt that much more. Praying for the victims, their families, and all miners who continue to put themselves in harm's way.