On 26 March 1896, an explosion deep in the Brunner Mine, New Zealand, killed all 65 miners below ground. The Brunner Mine disaster is the deadliest mining disaster in New Zealand's history.
The Royal Commission of Inquiry put the cause of the disaster as a blown-out shot in a part of the mine where miners should not have been working. However, experienced miners claimed the explosion was caused by firedamp igniting, which had accumulated in the mine due to inadequate ventilation.
HistoryLayer draws the world as it was in any year from 123,000 BCE to
2026. Move the slider and the borders redraw for that year; the map
carries 23,890 events, 12,790 people, 837 wars and 13,183 cities, each
one readable in place. Signing in is optional and lets you keep what
you find.