Once again Pike River mine is in the news.
The workers and their families were utterly failed by a cut price safety regime.
It does not surprise me that the families now feel that avoiding recovery is essentially another cost decision, this time by solid energy. There is also the background of the promise by the prime minister some time ago.
Personally I know next to zero about mining.
Combined, the families and their friends have a lot of experience. If there was really no hope and serious unmanageable danger they would just give it up and accept it.
I'm thinking the families and survivors are probably right on this. I doubt they want to see undue risks taken in the recovery/investigation. It seems they believe it is possible to do it well within safety margins.