Survivor struggled to breathe after NZ coal blast

The explosion that left 29 miners missing in New Zealand resembled "a shotgun blast, but much, much louder and more powerful," said a coal miner who was smashed into the mine wall before collapsing amid the smoky, swirling gas and dust.

When he came to, Daniel Rockhouse, 24, dragged himself upright and staggered to a nearby compressed air line to breathe in fresh air and gain some strength. (AP)