The return of Pike River is possible by the end of the year

The return of Pike River could take place by December, now that family representatives have approved the three options of the government to enter the mine.

The government is committed to returning the bodies of 29 men to their families.

Pike River Minister Andrew Little met families in Greymouth this afternoon.

He said that obtaining the approval of the plan was an important step

. A good deal of potential work has been done to date, and experts now have three options for returning and restoring drift.

"Before I agreed to explore these options, I just wanted the families"

"They seemed to know it, so I'll sign it now."

Little said that & ## 39, a realistic target for reintegration was the end of the war.

"We think the end of December, and that's what we are

Little said the three options were quite similar, but had differences in the way they organized a second exit point, and the order in which parts of the plan occurred.

He said that the government and the families knew that the recovery would be "complex".

According to their experts, it was possible, but the risks

"It's a unique mine anyway, you have this very long tunnel or this drift, and it goes up," says Little

"It's a coal mine, so it has everything you need." And, of course, it's a mine that has already exploded. "

" C & # 39; That is why we have the expertise we have, and one of the operating principles that we have in agreement with families, is first of all the

"They are very clear, they do not want another person to be hurt"

Last month, the police announced that a new investigation into the explosion of the Pike River mine was to open five years after the closure of the original mine.

Deputy Commissioner Richard Chambers was in Greymouth in June to meet with the Pike River Recovery Agency and the family representatives of the 29 men killed during the methane explosion eight years ago.

"The goal was to discuss the role and processes of police reintegration. "These discussions have raised the possibility that a police officer will be seconded to work closely with the Pike River Recovery Agency, albeit at a distance," police said in a statement.

During last week's House visit, Commissioner Mike Bush met with the affected families in 2017 for the first time since the police closed the case in 2013.

He said that it was to express his support for reintegration. The Pike River mine is 46 km northeast of Greymouth

On November 19, 2010, a methane explosion at the mine trapped and killed 29 workers in the interior, where they will remain today.

Any new evidence found would be assessed to determine if, if any, it had relevance to the original investigation that ended in July 2013, according to the police.