its cause. It was later announced that the government would appoint a Royal Commission of Inquiry. In addition, the police and the coroner would conduct investigations – as required by law – as would the Department of Labour. Recovery operation A Gorniczy Agregat Gasniczy (GAG) unit from Queensland, accompanied by 16 crew from Queensland Mines Rescue Service, was brought in on 26 November 2010 by the RNZAF, to be used in an attempt to suppress the fires. It was expected to take three days to assemble, and about five days for the fire-retardant emitted from the unit to fill the mine. On 10 December 2010, Police Commissioner Howard Broad said that the police intended to hand control of the recovery operation at the mine to the company. On 13 January 2011, Howard Broad told a media conference that the recovery of the bodies of the miners would be halted as it was impractical and too unsafe. Responsibility for securing the mine would be left with the receivers of Pike River Coal. On 14 January 2011, the police announced that the mine had been sealed as it was too dangerous to continue efforts to retrieve the bodies of the missing miners and contractors. On 17 January 2011, the receivers advised the police that their plan was to spend the next five to eight weeks stabilising the atmosphere in the mine and the underground heat sources. The plan did not include recovery of the bodies of the deceased miners. On 17 January 2011, it was further confirmed that recovery of the bodies was unlikely. On 9 March 2011, the receivers took control of the mine from the New Zealand Police. During inspection and recovery attempts, five robotic vehicles have been sent into the mine, but all failed within the mine, for reasons such as water ingress into their electronics, or getting stuck. In February 2013, a panel of experts, including representatives from Solid Energy, the government and families of the deceased, met to discuss whether retrieval of the bodies would be possible if they had the necessary funding. They came to the conclusion it could be done, and the government promised to fund the effort if its High Hazards Unit agreed. In October 2013, Solid Energy with the assistance of the New Zealand Defence Force started the Pike re-entry project in an effort to send mine rescue and other experts 2.3 km