Mining boss: 'Hard' to tell tragic news of New Zealand miners

Pike River Coal chief executive Peter Whittall has said it was ''hard' to tell relatives the news that all 29 miners trapped in a coal mine in New Zealand are believed to be dead after a second explosion.

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.