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All 29 miners trapped in a New Zealand coal pit since Friday are believed to be dead after a second explosion.
Police Supt Gary Knowles said there was no hope that anyone could have survived the "massive" underground blast at the Pike River mine on South Island.All 29 miners trapped in a New Zealand coal pit since Friday are believed to be dead after a second explosion.
Prime Minister John Key said the loss of life was a national tragedy.
There had been no contact with the men - 24 New Zealanders, two Australians, two Britons and a South African - since the first explosion on Friday.
The Britons were Peter Roger, 40, and Malcolm Campbell, 25, who were both originally from Scotland.
The mayor of Greymouth, the town nearest the mine, said the miners' families were in "absolute despair" after hearing of the news.
'Still hoping' Supt Knowles, who was leading the rescue operation, said there had been another explosion at 1437 local time (0137 GMT) inside the mine.
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"It is our belief that no-one has survived and everyone will have perished," he told reporters.
"I was at the mine myself when this actually occurred and the blast was horrific, just as severe as the first blast and we're currently now moving into recovery phase,""This is one of the most tragic things I have had to do as a police officer."
Rescuers had been preparing to go into the mine on Wednesday, but information suggested the levels of methane gas were too high.
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Shortly afterwards, the second explosion happened. It was larger and stronger than Friday's blast, and lasted about 30 seconds, officials said.
The chief executive of Pike River Coal, Peter Whittall, said it would make every effort to retrieve the bodies of the men.
"We want our boys back and we want to get them out," he told reporters.
By-BBC
