On 26 March 1896 an explosion at Brunner, West Coast, killed 65 coal miners in New Zealand’s worst mining disaster.
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Brunner mine disaster kills 65
At 9.30 a.m. an explosion was heard from the Brunner mine in Westland’s Grey Valley. Two men sent to investigate were later found unconscious from black damp, a suffocating mixture of nitrogen and carbon dioxide. By 11 a.m. rescuers were bringing out bodies. Those involved in the rescue almost succumbed to the noxious gases themselves and had to be carried out. A total of 65 miners were killed by the choking gas – almost half of Brunner’s underground workforce. This remains New Zealand’s deadliest industrial accident.
