An explosion at the West Coast mine on November 19 in 2010 killed 29 workers. Two men managed to get out alive.
The criminal investigation into the mining disaster continues, with many families hopeful enough evidence has been gathered by police to lay charges.
The families were notified of the final images yesterday - obtained through the redrilling of a borehole in a roadway where three men were working when the mine exploded - which showed two sets of human remains.
The discovery will help with closure for many, family members say.
Anna Osbourne, who chairs the family reference group, said the findings were not unexpected, but they had been a long time coming.
“We’ve known for a long time there was at least one of our men under borehole 47, but that doesn’t make coming back to it any easier.
“What is giving us some comfort is that now, as we get to the end of the project and the mine is sealed, we’re getting real answers about what had happened there. Just to see that our men fell where they stood and didn’t suffer for hours or more is so important.
"I take comfort in the fact that where the police have found bodies, there are not great clusters of men so they obviously dropped where they fell when the explosion happened.
"I am looking at it myself as a comfort, knowing that they didn't suffer for very long at all after the first explosion, if not instantaneously, they died."
Her husband, Milton, was killed in the disaster. She said police efforts in the operation to drill boreholes and gather footage from inside the mine had been reassuring and she hoped it was enough for a prosecution.
"I'd like to see Peter Whittall [who was in charge of the mine in 2010] plus three or four other people, I'd like to see them in a court of law - eyeballing the families in court we can actually see them and they have to explain to us what the hell happened and why didn't they stop it."
She expected it could be another 18 months before the police investigation was wrapped up, but was prepared to wait if it meant police could prove beyond reasonable doubt there was a case to be answered.
Rowdy Durbridge, who was working at Pike at the time of the explosion and whose son Daniel was among the men who died, said it was never too late for justice.
"It's comforting to know going on the imagery that they weren't running around in fear and it appears it was quick."
He was also pleased to see police investigating the disaster and hoped there would be enough evidence for a prosecution.
"I reckon my boy - all the boys I worked with - would be proud of the work done by families and the agency and the police to help put this to rights. We're thankful of that work."
Sonya Rockhouse said the project had helped her find closure.
“It’s strange to think that these are the last images that will come out of the mine, but I feel like we’ve achieved a lot.
“We’ve got so many answers and done as much as we can to get into the drift and then see into the mine. I feel like we have done right by Ben. I just hope now that we have done enough to get justice.”
Detective Superintendent Peter Read said the most recent imagery was a significant discovery, but left many unanswered questions for the men's loved ones.
"As I've noted previously, the search for answers over the last 11 years has been a long and painful journey for the families of the 29 men lost at the mine."
He said the drilling operation had provided police with valuable information for the investigation into the underground activity that led to the first explosion.
Work on the criminal investigation is expected to continue for some time.
- additional reporting ODT Online
