Caretaker feared dead in landslide

Press, 15 September 1988, Page 3

Caretaker feared dead in landslide

By

DEBORAH McPHERSON

A former Christchurch man is feared to have died in a massive rockfall near Greymouth on Tuesday.

He was Keith Butler, aged 56. Mr Butler was believed to have been engulfed in a massive landslide, where he was living at the deserted, historic coalmining settlement at Rewanui, situated in the hills above Runanga, about 18km north of Greymouth. Mr Butler was living in the two-storey bath house, which was demolished in the landslide along with the old Rewanui railway station, said SeniorSergeant Brock Price, of the Greymouth police. The landslide was 30 metres deep and ' 100 metres wide, and was believed to have occurred

about midday on Tuesday. “We are not presuming ' him dead just yet, but our inquiries show he was believed to have been in the area at the time of the slip," said Senior-Sergeant Price. “If he had been, there would have been no real chance that he survived.” A rescue team was flown to the area by an Air Force Iroquois helicopter on Tuesday and yesterday morning, but was unable to find any sign of Mr Butler, or the vehicle that he had been seen in there. Torrential rain on the West Coast since last week-end had loosened the ground on the hill

above the mine, said Senior-Sergeant Price. Mr Butler was employed by the Rewanui Preservation Society and had worked at Rewanui for more than a year restoring old buildings and trying to establish the area as a tourist attraction. Senior-Sergeant Price said it would be a huge task to look for a body among the debris at the mine site. Heavy machinery would be required to remove the boulders. Mr Butler had worked in Christchurch for about 30 years although he was born in Westport and spent some time at Rewanui.