All 29 men entombed in New Zealand's Pike River Coal mine were killed minutes after a methane gas explosion ripped through the underground mine, a coronial inquest has found.
Chief Coroner Neil MacLean said the men - among them two Australians - would have died either from the impact of the blast in November last year or from the poisonous atmosphere it created in the mine.
Evidence presented at Thursday's inquest found the miners would have lost consciousness and died from hypoxic hypoxia, or lack of oxygen, within minutes, The Press reported.
"The death of all 29 men occurred on the 19th of November either at the time of the very large explosion that occurred or a short time thereafter," Mr MacLean told inquest, which ran for about five hours at Greymouth District Court.
Death certificates could now be issued for the men, he said.
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Queenslanders Willie Joynson, 49, and Josh Ufer, 25, were among those killed when the blast erupted in the mine at 3.45pm local time (1.45pm AEDT).
Superintendent Gary Knowles, the police officer who initially led the rescue operation at the South Island mine, said expert evidence had found that gases present in the mine after the blast would have been similar to cyanide.
He said the gases would have caused an immediate lack of consciousness and death within three to five minutes, according to the evidence from Robin Griffiths of Otago University.
"The chances they would have lived would have been nil," Supt Knowles said.
"In the presence of such low oxygen, hypoxic hypoxia would have occurred rapidly.
"They would have remained unconscious until death three to five minutes later."
Supt Knowles read out a list of all the miners and the last time they were seen before they died.
Many of the miners were last seen by their family members on the morning of the explosion.
Supt Knowles also gave details from blast survivor Daniel Rockhouse, who was about to refuel his loader in the underground mine when he saw a "white flash" that knocked him off his feet.
The mine filled with smoke, and he began to smell carbon monoxide, Mr Rockhouse told police.
He tried to place his safety equipment on his face before panicking, and losing consciousness.
He eventually recovered consciousness and reached a fresh air valve and a phone to alert mine staff above ground, The Press reported.
As he staggered out, he came across his semi-conscious colleague Russell Smith, who he dragged from the mine.
The men reached the surface and exited the mine about 5.30pm.
Greymouth District Court, on the west coast of the South Island, was packed with miners' family members, lawyers and company officials, including Pike River Coal CEO Peter Whittall during Thursday's inquest, The Press reported.
The inquest was limited to establishing the cause of the miners' deaths and the likely timeframes, as well as formally confirming their identities.
Wider issues concerning the cause of the blast, and the subsequent explosions that followed it, will be covered by the Royal Commission of Inquiry, which is due to conclude on March 31.
