Driller admits lapses in New Zealand mine disaster

WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) — An Australian drilling company has pleaded guilty to three health-and-safety violations in connection with a 2010 coal mine disaster in New Zealand that killed 29 miners.

VLI Drilling pleaded guilty Tuesday in a New Zealand court to charges that it failed to keep its workers safe at the Pike River coal mine. The company faces a maximum fine of 750,000 New Zealand dollars ($607,000). VLI, a contractor at the mine, employed three of the men who died. Several criminal charges also are pending against the main mine operator, Pike River Coal Ltd., which employed the rest of the victims.