2010 Copiapó mining accident

"Copiapó mining accident" redirects here. For the 2006 accident in the Carola-Agustina mine, see 2006 Copiapó mining accident.

2010 Copiapó mining accident

Rescue efforts at San José Mine near Copiapó, Chile on 10 August 2010
Date	5 August 2010 (2010-08-05)  – 13 October 2010 (2010-10-13) (69 days)
Time	14:05 CLT (UTC−4)
Location	Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile
Coordinates	27°9′36.73″S 70°29′48.4″W
First reporter	San Esteban Mining Company
Outcome	All 33 trapped miners rescued by government
Deaths	0
Non-fatal injuries	0
Property damage	Total closure and loss as of August 2010
Inquiries	Under investigation as of August 2010
Suspects	Under investigation as of August 2010
Charges	Under investigation as of August 2010
Convictions	Under investigation as of August 2010
Litigation	US$2 million lawsuit as of August 2010
Awards	In litigation as of August 2010
Website	Ministry of Mining, Chile
Mina San José Santiago class=notpageimage| Location of the Mina San José in Chile

The 2010 Copiapó mining accident occurred on 5 August 2010, when part of the San José copper-gold mine in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile, collapsed, leaving 33 men trapped 700 metres (2,300 ft) below ground. The miners survived underground for a record 69 days. All 33 were rescued and brought to the surface on 13 October 2010; the first miner emerged from the Fénix 2 rescue capsule at 00:10 CLDT and the last at 21:55 CLDT. After the last trapped miner was winched to the surface, the rescue workers held up a sign stating "Misión cumplida Chile" (English: "Mission accomplished Chile") to the estimated more than 1 billion people watching the rescue on live television around the world.

The San José Mine is about 45 kilometres (28 mi) north of Copiapó, in northern Chile. The miners were trapped approximately 5 kilometres (3 mi) from the mine entrance. The mine had a history of instability that had led to previous accidents, including one death.

The retrieval of the first miner, Florencio Ávalos, began on Tuesday, 12 October at 23:55 CLDT, with the rescue capsule reaching the surface 16 minutes later. Less than twenty-four hours later, at 21:55 CLDT on 13 October, all 33 miners had been rescued, almost all in good medical condition, and expected to recover fully. Two miners were suffering from silicosis, one of whom also had pneumonia, and others were suffering from dental infections and corneal problems. Three of the rescued miners had immediate surgery under general anesthesia for dental problems.

The total cost of the rescue operation was estimated at US$20 million, a third covered by private donations with the rest coming from state-owned mining corporation Codelco and the government itself.

Background

Satellite image of the San José mine and its surroundings

See also: Mining in Chile

Chile has a long tradition in mining, which developed during the 20th century and made the country the world's top producer of copper. Since 2000, an average of 34 people have died every year in mining accidents in Chile, with a high of 43 in 2008, according to a review of data collected by the state regulatory agency National Geology and Mining Service Template:Lang-es abbreviated as SERNAGEOMIN).

The mine is owned by San Esteban Mining Company, (Template:Lang-es abbreviated as CMSE), a company that is notoriously dangerous in the mineral-rich region and, according to an official with the non-profit Chilean Safety Association, (Template:Lang-es, also known as ACHS) eight workers have died at the mine in 12 years. Between 2004 and 2010, the company received 42 fines for breaching safety regulations. The San Jose Mine was shut down in 2007 when relatives of a miner who had died in an accident sued company executives, but was reopened in 2008 despite failing to comply with all regulations, a matter which is still under investigation according to mining committee Senator Baldo Prokurica. Due to budget constraints there were only three inspectors for the Atacama Region's 884 mines.

CMSE had ignored warnings over unsafe working conditions in its mines. CMSE's management operates "without listening to the voice of the workers when they say that there is danger or risk," said Javier Castillo, secretary of the trade union that represents miners at the San José mine. "Nobody listens to us. Then they say we're right. If they would have believed the workers, we would not be lamenting this now," said Gerardo Núñez, head of the union at a nearby Candelaria Norte mine.

Chilean copper mine workers are among the highest-paid miners in South America. Although the accident itself has put into question mine safety in Chile, serious accidents in large mines are rare, particularly in those owned by the state copper mining company, Codelco, or by multinational companies. However, smaller mines such as the one at San José have generally lower safety standards. Mine workers at this mine were paid around 20% higher wages than at other Chilean mines, due to its poor safety record.

Accident

Initial information

Abstract diagram of the accident (Not to scale - depths are metres AMSL)

The collapse occurred on 5 August 2010, at 14:00 CLT as reported by the owners, the San Esteban Mining Company (CMSE), the Ministry of Labour and Social Welfare, the Chilean Undersecretary of Mining and the director of the SERNAGEOMIN (the National Mining and Geology Service). The Oficina Nacional de Emergencias del Ministerio del Interior (ONEMI – National Emergencies Office of the Interior Ministry) reported that day the names of the 33 miners trapped in the mine", including Franklin Lobos, a retired Chilean footballer. One of the miners (Carlos Mamani) was Bolivian while the others were all of Chilean nationality. Chilean Minister of Mining Laurence Golborne was in Ecuador at the time of the disaster and arrived at the site on 7 August.

When the cave-in occurred there were two groups of workers in the mine; one was near the entrance and escaped immediately without incident. The group of 33 men was deep inside the mine and included several subcontracted mechanics who would not normally have been with the group. The rock fall caused a thick dust cloud that blinded the miners for up to six hours and caused lingering eye irritation and burning.

Its workings are reached by a long sloping roadway with many irregular spiral turns, not by a vertical mineshaft.

Trapped group

The trapped miners initially tried to escape through a ventilation shaft system, but the ladders required by mining safety codes were missing. (The shafts later became inaccessible to rescue teams due to subsequent ground movements). The company had failed to install the escape ladders which had been stipulated as a condition of restarting operations after authorities had closed the accident-plagued 100-year-old mine.

The shift supervisor, Luis Urzúa, recognizing the gravity of the situation and the difficulty involved in any rescue attempt, gathered his men in a secure room called a "refuge" and organized the men and meager resources for long-term survival. Experienced miners were sent out to assess the situation, men with important skills were given key roles, and numerous other measures were taken to ensure the survival of the men.

Search and rescue attempts

Ventilation shaft

President Piñera holds the message sent by the miners with Mining Minister Golborne (red jacket, blue shirt)

Mine rescuers attempted to bypass the rockfall at the main entryway through alternative passages but each route was blocked by fallen rock or threatened by ongoing rock movement. A second collapse occurred at the mine on 7 August when rescuers were forced to use heavy machinery while trying to gain access via a ventilation shaft. Out of concern that additional attempts pursuing this route would cause further geological movement within the mine, attempts to reach the trapped miners through previously existing shafts were halted and other means to find the men were sought.

The accident followed closely on the heels of sharp criticism of the government's handling of the latest major Chilean earthquake and tsunami, and as a consequence of the worsening situation and increasing concern from the Chilean populace who were deeply sympathetic to the plight of the miners and their families, President Piñera returned to Chile early, before the start of the presidential inauguration of Juan Manuel Santos in Colombia, to travel to the mine.

Exploratory boreholes

Percussion drills were used to make eight exploratory boreholes about 15 centimeters (5.9 in) wide to find the miners. The rescue effort was complicated by out-of-date maps of the mine shafts and several boreholes drifting off-target because of the extreme drilling depth and the notoriously hard rock that exacerbated the drill's tendency to drift. On 19 August, the 14th day of the rescue operation, one of the probes reached a space where the miners were believed to be trapped but found no signs of life. The search and rescue operation was led by Engineer André Sougarret, head of El Teniente Mine of Codelco, Chile's state owned copper corporation.

Discovery

Digital representation of the note sent by the miners.

On 22 August at 07:15 CLT, the eighth borehole, drilled by TerraServices, using a Schramm T685 WS drill drilling a 5+1⁄2-inch (14 cm) hole, broke through. It reached a ramp, at 688 meters (2,257 ft) underground, about 20 meters (66 ft) from an emergency shelter room where the miners were expected to have taken refuge. The miners had heard the drills approaching for days and had prepared notes which they attached to the tip of the drill with insulation tape when it poked into their space. Though the drilling engineers had thought they heard tapping on the drill tip, they were surprised to discover the notes when the drill bit was pulled out, as the miners had survived for 17 days, much longer than anyone had expected. At 15:17 CLDT, President Sebastián Piñera showed the media a note written on a piece of paper with a red marker that confirmed the miners were alive. The note read: "Estamos bien en el refugio los 33" (English: "We are alright in the shelter, the 33 [of us]"). Those words became an emblem of the miners' survival and the rescue effort, appearing on websites, banners and t-shirts. Hours later, video cameras sent down the borehole made contact with the trapped miners, capturing the first grainy, black-and-white, silent images of the skinny, dirty, shirtless and unshaven men.

Survival

This iconic image was the world's first view of the trapped miners after a video camera was lowered down the borehole.

The miners had a 50 square meters (540 sq ft) emergency shelter with two long benches, but ventilation problems had led them to move out to a tunnel. In addition to the shelter, they had some 2 kilometers (1.2 mi) of galleries in which to move around. The miners used backhoes to dig for underground water sources. Some water was obtained from the radiators of vehicles inside the mineshaft. Food supplies were limited and the men had lost an average of 8 kilograms (18 lb) each. Although the emergency supplies were intended for only two or three days, the miners rationed them and were able to make them last for two weeks, running out just before they were discovered. They consumed "two little spoonfuls of tuna, a sip of milk and a biscuit every 48 hours" and a morsel of peach. The men used truck batteries to power their hard hat lamps for illumination.

After his release from the hospital, Mario Sepúlveda said "All 33 trapped miners, practicing a one-man, one-vote democracy, worked together to maintain the mine, look for escape routes and keep up morale." He said, "We knew that if society broke down we would all be doomed. Each day a different person took a bad turn. Every time that happened, we worked as a team to try to keep the morale up." He and some of the older miners helped to support the younger men, he said, but all have taken an oath of silence not to reveal certain details of what occurred down the mine, particularly during the early weeks of desperation.

Ávalos said the men kept hope of a survival by pulling together to beat hunger, thirst and desperation underground. “As a group we had to keep faith, we had to keep hope, we had to all believe that we would survive,” he said. Franklin Lobos, a former professional footballer, said he and his fellow miners had acted like a great football team. "We pulled together when things got rough, when there was nothing, when we needed to drink water and there wasn’t any to drink. We pulled together when there was no food, when you just had to eat a teaspoon of tuna because there was nothing else. That really bonded us," he said.

The video

The miners filmed a 40 minute video, recorded by a mini-camera sent by the government through the palomas, in which 28 of the 33 miners appeared, showed that most of them were in good spirits, and, though they had lost considerable weight, were in reasonably good health. It also demonstrated that they were organized — they have established places to sleep, to play games and to put their waste said Dr. Jaime Mañalich, Chile’s health minister. Wearing white gloves and using his helmet lamp, Mario Sepúlveda hosts the film and points out where the miners eat, sleep, and the large cooler where they store water. He stops at a wall where there is a cabinet with medical supplies, including rubbing alcohol. There are some kitchen items, a fire extinguisher, even a picture of a topless woman. His colleagues are mostly shirtless, with heavy beards, and almost all appear to be sweating. Some looked emaciated. Sepúlveda calls the health conditions “complicated” but assures the viewer that things have been improving since the miners were found on Sunday. Sepúlveda points out where the miners prepared a drier area for Mario Gomes, who at 63 suffers from respiratory problems.

The mood displayed in the video is generally positive and even light. “The only good thing about getting out will be that out there you can take a bath,” one man says, drawing laughs from others in the background. “That’s true,” Sepúlveda agrees, smiling. As the video draws to an end, Sepúlveda leads some of the group in the Chilean national anthem. And he talks about the importance of Luis Urzúa, the group’s 54-year-old shift leader, who Sepúlveda says has brought “calm” to everyone else. Urzúa then appears. “We are all anxious to get out of here and see our friends and families,” he says, “those that are working day and night up there, the mining family and 17 million Chileans.”

Leadership

“It’s been a bit of a long shift,” said the foreman whose level-headedness and gentle humour helped keep the miners under his charge focused on survival during their 70-day underground ordeal. Luis Urzúa kept his cool. In his first audio contact with officials on the surface, he glossed over the hunger and despair he and his men had felt, saying instead: “We’re fine, waiting for you to rescue us.”

“The hierarchy and power of a supervisor in the world of the miner is extremely powerful; it is a military discipline,” Chilean Minister of Health Jaime Manalich said as he explained the ability of Urzua to organize the miners’ increasingly sophisticated underground existence. “Natural selection is extremely strong in this world,” and effectively makes a shift foreman “owner of the mine” during his typical 12-hour shift. “This is an extremely dangerous job, if you look at the statistics, this region of Chile has the highest worker mortality rate in the nation and that is led by mining.” “[Urzua] is a leader in his field and has been for ages. He is recognized by his peers as a leader. For a miner, their shift leader is sacred and holy. They would never think about replacing him. That is carved in stone; it is one of the commandments in the life of a miner.” said Andreas Llarena, a commander in the Chilean Navy who has been sent to the scene of the mining accident to help coordinate medical aspects of the rescue operations.

Urzua received three daily briefings: One from a doctor, another from a psychologist and the third from a miner updating him on the technical aspects of the rescue operation. The Chilean government counted on Urzua to organize a long list of tasks for his mining crew, during a daily medical conference call. An example of his self-confidence is when he told Dr. Manalich to “keep it short, we have lots of work to do.”

Urzúa split his men into three groups, to build team spirit. He set up the rationing system that was crucial to the miners’ survival. Toward the end, as the wait for a rescue the men had at first hoped would be only days away wore on, the rations were stretched out to every 48 hours. He took charge underground, dividing their habitat into separate areas for sleeping, working and washing, and kept his men occupied with 12-hour shifts to maintain the kind of discipline he learned while doing his military service. He instilled a sense of structure and order among his men, who even he admitted had been initially overcome by desperation after the cave-in revealed a wall of rock hemming them in. Urzúa also drew on his training as a topographer to map the tunnels that became their sticky, damp home. He used a white pickup truck as an underground office, and turned the lights of other trucks on and off to simulate daylight. “He likes things to be clear,” says his brother Juan Carlos.

Urzúa said the key for keeping the men bonded and focused on survival was majority decision-making. "You just have to speak the truth and believe in democracy," said Urzúa. "Everything was voted on ... We were 33 men, so 16 plus one was a majority." Like a ship's captain, 54-year-old Urzúa was the last to leave after 70 days trapped below the Atacama desert. Immediately after the collapse at the mine at lunchtime on 5 August, Urzúa sent men to investigate. Some drove a pickup, inching up a ramp. With clouds of dust limiting visibility to less than a metre, they were unable to see the path and crashed. "We were trying to find out what we could do and what we could not," said Urzúa. "Then we had to figure out the food." Urzúa tried to instil a philosophical acceptance of fate.

"There was the waiting for death, the hopelessness, the petty squabbles and the nagging, unspoken fear of cannibalism. We were waiting for death. We were consuming ourselves – we were so skinny. Every day [Urzúa] told us to have strength. If they find us they find us, if not, that's that." said Villaroel of Urzúa.

Key members of the trapped group

• Luis Urzúa (54), the shift foreman trapped with the men, recognizing the gravity of the situation and the difficulty of any rescue attempt, gathered the men in a secure room called a "refuge", and organized the men and meager resources for a long-term survival situation. Just after the incident, he led three men to scout up the tunnel, confirming the situation, he then made detailed maps of the area to aid the rescue effort. He led the underground portion of the rescue operation coordinating closely with the surface engineers over the teleconference links
• Florencio Ávalos (31), second in command of the group, assisted Urzúa organizing the men. Because of his experience, physical fitness and emotional stability, he was selected to be the first miner to ride the rescue capsule to the surface in case of complications during the 15 minute ascent in the claustrophobic shaft. Naturally shy, he served as the video communications camera operator for the videos sent up to their families. He was trapped along with his younger brother Renan.
• Yonni Barrios (50), became the medic of the trapped miners, monitoring their health, giving vaccinations, and giving detailed medical reports to the team of doctors on the surface. His fellow miners jokingly referred to him as "Dr. House" from the popular American TV medical drama.
• Mario Gómez (63), was the eldest miner and became the religious leader in the group, organizing a chapel with a shrine containing statues of saints, and aided the surface psychologists' counseling efforts.
• José Henríquez (54), a preacher who has also worked in mining for 33 years, he served as the miners' pastor and organized daily prayers.
• Mario Sepúlveda (40), served as the energetic host of the miner's video journals that were sent to the surface to reassure the world that they were doing well. The local media dubbed him "Super Mario" after the Super Mario Bros. video game for his energy, wit and humor.
• Ariel Ticona (29), served as the group's communications specialist, maintaining the underground portion of the telephone and videoconferencing systems that were sent down by the surface team.

Health of the trapped miners

video capture image showing the dirty and malnourished condition of the miners after 17 days trapped underground

Video capture image showing the condition of the miners after 17 days trapped below ground

On 23 August, voice contact was made with the miners. They reported having few medical problems; the doctor in charge of the rescue operation told the media that "they have considerably less discomfort than we might have expected after spending 18 days inside the mine, at 700 metres (2,300 ft) deep and under high temperatures and high humidity". The doctors also reported that the miners had already been provided with a 5% glucose solution and a drug to prevent stomach ulcers resulting from food deprivation. Material was sent down in 5-foot-long (1.5 m) blue plastic capsules nicknamed [palomas] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) ("doves", referring to the role of carrier pigeons), taking an hour to reach the miners. Engineers coated the boreholes with a gel in order to ensure the integrity of the shafts and ease the passage of the capsules. In addition to high-energy glucose gels, rehydration tablets, and medicine, rescuers also sent down oxygen after the miners reported there was not enough air. Delivery of solid food began a few days later. Two other boreholes were completed—one for oxygen enriched air, the second for videoconference equipment to allow daily video chats with family members. Relatives were permitted to write letters, but were asked to keep them optimistic.

Out of concern for the miners' morale, rescuers hesitated to tell them that according to the conservative plan, the rescue might take months, with an eventual extraction date close to Christmas. The miners who had been trapped since August would miss many events, including the Chilean Bicentennial celebrations and important soccer games, in addition to their personal anniversaries. The miners were fully informed, however, on 25 August, of the projected timeline for their rescue and the complexity of the plans to get them out. The mining minister reported that the men took the potentially negative news very well.

Rescue workers and consultants described the miners as a very disciplined group. Psychologists and doctors worked with the rescue effort to ensure the miners kept busy and mentally focused. Fluorescent lights with timers were sent down to keep the men on a normal schedule by imitating day and night. The miners affirmed their ability to participate in rescue efforts, saying "There are a large number of professionals who are going to help in the rescue efforts from down here." Psychologists believed that the miners should have a role in their own destiny as it was important to maintain motivation and optimism. They divided themselves into three eight hour shifts with each shift responsible for handling the palomas, environmental safety, preventing further rock falls, communications and sanitation-related tasks. Luis Urzúa became the overall leader and the oldest miner, Mario Gómez, was chosen to provide spiritual guidance. Mental health experts supported the hierarchical structure to preserve order and routine within the group believing it to be crucial to their mental health.

One of the two tubes used to deliver supplies to the miners 2,000ft below

Doctors determined that Yonni Barrios was the most qualified of the miners to undertake medical tasks and to communicate on health issues, due to his previous medical training. He made daily rounds, administering diagnostic tests, taking samples and updating patient charts, and participated in daily conference calls with the medical team above. He became so busy that he recruited Daniel Herrera to assist with the record-keeping. Barrios vaccinated the group against tetanus, diphtheria, flu and pneumonia. Many of the miners developed severe skin problems due to the hot and wet conditions. They were sent quick-drying clothing and mats so they would not have to sleep directly on the ground. In September, they received first aid kits, which included tourniquets, IV kits, and splints, and they received first aid training by videoconferencing.

Sanitation was an important issue in their hot, humid environment, and the miners took steps to maintain hygiene throughout their confinement. "They know how to maintain their environment. They have a designated bathroom area, garbage area and are even recycling," said Dr Andrés Llarena, an anesthesiologist with the Chilean navy. "They put plastic stuff away from biological [wastes], in different holes. They are taking care of their place." The men used a natural waterfall for regular showers and received soap and shampoo from the palomas, while dirty laundry was sent out. They dug out several fresh water sources which doctors determined to be potable and were provided water purification tablets as well.

Environmental and safety issues were also a primary concern. Jimmy Sánchez, the youngest of the group at 19, was assigned as the "environmental assistant", and tested the air quality daily with a hand-held computerized device that measured oxygen, carbon dioxide levels and air temperature that normally averaged 31 °C (88 °F). Teams of miners also patrolled their area to identify and prevent potential rockfalls and pry loose hazardous stones from the ceiling, while others worked to divert the streams of water from the drilling operations.

Health Minister Jaime Mañalich stated, "The situation is very similar to the one experienced by astronauts who spend months on end in the space station." On 31 August, a team from NASA in the United States arrived in Chile to provide assistance. The team included two physicians, one psychologist, and an engineer.

After the rescue, Dr. Rodrigo Figueroa, chief of the Trauma Stress and Disaster unit of the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, said there were serious shortcomings in the censorship of letters to and from their relatives above ground and in the monitoring of activities the miners could undertake, as being underground has suddenly turned them into “babies,” he said. But the natural strength of “The 33” managed to keep them alive, and their natural organization into teams as a response to disaster was also part of the human response to threat. And as the miners’ sound minds have seen them through, they will continue to be tested as they now resume life above ground.

Religious aspects

Mass for the family members in Campamento Esperanza at San José Mine near Copiapó, Chile

The trapped miners, most of whom were Roman Catholic, asked for religious items, including Bibles, crucifixes, rosaries, and statues of the Virgin Mary and other saints. Pope Benedict XVI sent each man a rosary which was brought personally to the mine by the archbishop of Santiago, Cardinal Francisco Javier Errázuriz Ossa. After three weeks in the mine, one man who was civilly married to his wife 25 years earlier asked her to get married in a church. The men set up a makeshift chapel in the mine, and Mario Gómez, the eldest miner, spiritually counseled his companions and led daily prayers.

Among the miners, a number attributed religious significance to the events. Mario Sepúlveda, for example, said "I was with God, and with the Devil -- and God took me." Mónica Ávalos, the wife of the first man rescued, Florencio Ávalos, noted: "We are really religious, both my husband and I, so God was always present. It is a miracle, this rescue was so difficult, it's a grand miracle." As one story in the Daily Mail put it "A deep religious faith powered this rescue; miners and families and rescuers alike believe their prayers were answered."

Both government representatives and the Chilean public have repeatedly credited Divine Providence with keeping the miners alive and the Chilean public has viewed rescue as a miracle. Chile's president Sebastián Piñera stated, "When the first miner emerges safe and sound, I hope all the bells of all the churches of Chile ring out forcefully, with joy and hope. Faith has moved mountains." When Esteban Rojas stepped out of the rescue device, he immediately knelt on the ground with his hands together in prayer then raised his arms above him in adoration. His wife then wrapped around him a religious tapestry with Mary on it as they hugged and cried.

Camp Hope and the families

[Campamento Esperanza] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (Camp Hope) was a tent city that sprang up in the desert as word of the collapse traveled. At first, relatives gathered at the mine entrance and slept in cars as they waited and prayed for word on rescue operation's progress. In the weeks that the search extended, friends brought them tents and other camping supplies for shelter from the harsh desert climate. The encampment grew larger with the arrival of friends and relatives, additional rescue and construction workers, and members of the media. Government ministers held regular briefings for the families and journalists at the camp. "We're not going to abandon this camp until we go out with the last miner left," said María Segovia. "There are 33 of them, and one is my brother."

Many among the miner's families at Camp Hope are devout members of the Catholic Church and prayed nearly constantly for the men. As they waited, the worried families erected memorials for the trapped men, lit candles and prayed. On a nearby hill overlooking the mine, the families placed 32 Chilean and one Bolivian flag to represent their stranded men. Small shrines were erected at the foot of each flag and amongst the tents with pictures of their miners, religious icons and statues of the Virgin Mary and patron saints.

María Segovia, the elder sister of Darío Segovia, became known as [La Alcaldesa] Error: {{Lang}}: text has italic markup (help) (the Mayoress) for her organizational skills and outspokenness and as the families became more organized, the government took steps to provide some comforts. Eventually the government provided a more private area for the relatives to avoid the constant inquisitions from the energetic press corps, and infrastructure was added such as a kitchen, canteen area, sanitary facilities and security. Bulletin boards sprouted and the local government established shuttle bus stops. Over time even a school house and children's zones were added and volunteers worked to help feed the families, clowns entertained the children and organizations provided emotional and spiritual comfort to the families waiting in limbo. Police and soldiers were brought in from Santiago to help maintain order and security, some patrolling the desert perimeter on horseback and it became in many respects, a small city.

Rescue plans

Miner rescued with a Dahlbusch Bomb, the 1963 predecessor of the Fénix, Wunder von Lengede, artist depiction (1963) by Helmuth Ellgaard

The rescue crews planned to raise the miners one by one with pods. "The mine is old and there is concern of further collapses,” Murray & Roberts Cementation managing director Henry Laas said. “The rescue methodology therefore has to be carefully designed and implemented.”

Drilling plans

Several types of drilling equipment and different access strategies to reach the miners with escape boreholes were tried in parallel. When the escape shaft reached the miners, there were three plans in operation—the Strata 950 ("Plan A", 702 metre target depth at 90°), the Schramm T130XD ("Plan B", 638 metre target depth at 82°), and a RIG-421 drill ("Plan C", 597 meter target depth at 85°).

Plan A

Plan A used an Australian built Strata 950 model raise borer type drilling rig often used to create circular shafts between two levels of a mine without the use of explosives. The drill was provided by South African mining company Murray & Roberts, who had a recently idled machine in Chile for a separate mining contract. The drill had just finished a shaft for Codelco's Andina copper mine in Chile and was immediately transferred to San José. Since it weighed 31 short tons (28 t), it needed to be shipped in pieces. The Strata 950 was the first of the three drills to begin boring an escape shaft.

In traditional raise boring operations, mining companies use a drilling technique known as ‘up-reaming’. Normally, this type of rig first drills a small pilot hole downward, then large machine cutters are attached to the drill which is sticking out the bottom of the pilot hole. The massive cutters are pulled up as they grind through thick rock, boring along the pilot hole. In this case however, since the space below was blocked and the raise bore bit could not be attached from underground, the rig was modified to widen the hole from above.

If the pilot hole had been completed, further drilling would have caused rock debris to fall down the hole, and the miners would have had to remove the debris.

Plan B

Plan B involved a Schramm Inc. T130XD air core drill owned by Geotec S.A. (a Chilean-American joint venture drilling company) that was chosen by Drillers Supply SA (the general contractor of Plan B) to widen one of the three 5.5 inches (14 cm) boreholes that were already keeping the miners supplied with palomas. Internationally, the drills are used to drill top holes for the oil and gas industry and for mineral exploration and water wells This system employed Chilean Drillers Supply SA (DSI) personnel, Mijali Proestakis G.M. and Partner, Igor Proestakis Tech Mgr and Greg Hall C.E.O. (who joined his team on site for the last eight days of drilling) and their 7" drill pipe air core drill, a team of American drillers from Layne Christensen Co. and specialized Down-The-Hole drilling hammers from Center Rock, Inc., of Berlin, Pennsylvania. Center Rock's president and personnel from DSI Chile were present on site for the 33 days of drilling. While the Schramm rig, built by privately held Schramm, Inc. of West Chester, Pennsylvania, was already on the ground in Chile at the time of the mine collapse, additional drilling equipment was flown from the United States to Chile by United Parcel Service. The percussion-technology hammer drill could drill at more than 40 metres (130 ft) a day by using four hammers instead of one.

The Schramm T-130 was directed to bore toward the workshop, a space that was accessible by the miners. The T-130 became operational on 5 September and worked in three stages. First, it needed to enlarge the 5.5 inches (14 cm) hole to a 12 inches (30 cm) hole. It then needed to drill the 12 inches (30 cm) hole into a 28 inches (71 cm) diameter hole. “If we tried to drill from a 5.5 inches (14 cm) hole to a 28 inches (71 cm) hole, the torque would be too high and it would ... put the drill bits under too much pressure,” said Schramm, Inc. Latin American Regional Manager, Claudio Soto. However by reusing the same hole, there was still added pressure on the drill. Delays occurred because of issues with the neck of the drills caused by the angle of the drilling. Rescuers couldn’t drill vertically since that would require placing the heavy rig on the unstable ground where the cave in had happened. And the rescuers also had to avoid drilling into the production tunnels that wind above the shelter. Soto added, during the rescue, “It’s a difficult hole. It’s curved and deep. The hard rock has proven to be abrasive and has worn out the steel of the drill.”

The fine rock debris, known as cuttings, fell down the pilot hole; an estimated 500 kilograms (1,100 lb) of rocks fell down every hour. Working in shifts 24 hours a day, the miners had to keep the passage clear with the industrial-sized battery-powered sweepers, shovels and wheel barrows trapped in the mine with them. The miners had to remove on their own a total mass of drilling cuttings estimated at up to 700 metric tons (770 short tons), considering a borehole diameter of 70 centimetres (28 in), with a depth of 688 metres (2,257 ft) and a rock density of 2.7 tonnes per cubic metre.

Its first delay was caused by it hitting a metal bar in an old working and wrecking. The wrecked drill bit was retrieved by sending down a steel tube called a "spider", whose end was cut into 8 long teeth. When the spider reached the obstruction, its 8 teeth went down around the drill bit, and on further pressure bent in below the drill bit, holding it, and it was hauled to the surface. The second delay was caused by the replacement drill bit wearing out. As the drill drilled down, the spoil fell down the pilot hole and the trapped miners had to clear it away, using a front loader, fueled with diesel sent down via one of the supply holes.

Plan C

Plan C was a powerful Canadian built RIG-421 oil drilling rig operated by Calgary-based Precision Drilling Corporation and was the last drill to become involved in the rescue process; it began drilling on Sept. 19. The rig is a special drill used for oil and gas drilling that could drill a wide enough escape shaft in a single pass without a pilot hole. RIG-421 is a Diesel-Electric Triple that was 43 metres (141 ft) tall and needed 40 truckloads to bring its pieces from Iquique, Chile to Copiapó. 10,000 cubic metres (13,000 cu yd) of rock and gravel were cleared to make a stable platform for it on the rough hillside. It was chosen for the rescue operation because it can drill large holes deep into the ground and because it works faster than mining drills. Unlike the Strata 950 and the Schramm T-130, the Rig 421 brings debris back up to the surface.

It suffered a setback due to the difficulty of aiming the larger drill at a 2.5m x 2.5m target and the hardness of the rock when the drill diverted from its course. The drill then needed to be removed, resized and repositioned, which slowed its progress.“We’ve drilled wells all around the world. The actual drilling of the hole in the ground isn’t that difficult. When you’re given a target to aim for it’s a little more difficult,” said Shaun Robstad, superintendent with Precision Drilling. Many family members of the miners once had high hopes for this Canadian rig, but it had to reduce its drill size and lagged behind.

2010 Copiapó mining accident

Drilling Results Plan A, Strata 950  (85%) 702 598 Plan B, Schramm T130  (100%) 624 Plan C, RIG-421  (62%) 597 372

Drilling results

The widened shaft of Plan B's Schramm T130XD reached the trapped miners at 08:05 CLDT on 9 October after a 10 hour stoppage to change the drill-bit. By 8 October, the Plan A Strata 950's pilot hole had reached 598 metres (1,962 ft) deep (85% - it had not yet started its widened shaft). Plan C's RIG-421, the only machine at the site which drills a shaft wide enough immediately, reached 372 metres (1,220 ft) (62%).

As illustrated in the graphic to the right, it was the Schramm T-130, Plan B, that reached the miners on Oct. 9. The rescue operation was an international effort. The rescue of the miners involved not only technology, but the cooperation and resources of companies and individuals from around the world, including Latin America, South Africa, Australia, the United States and Canada. NASA specialists helped develop a sophisticated health agenda. Canada brought in their “Plan C” drill. An Austrian system of cranes and pulleys designed for the rescue capsule eventually pulled the miners to the surface. But overall, it was widely a Chilean-led team and effort. As one NASA specialist said while visiting early on in the rescue: “The Chileans are basically writing the book.”

See also: International Government Participation and International Corporate Participation

Extraction plans

Fénix rescue capsule

Fénix-2 capsule on display in Santiago in October 2010

Main article: Fénix capsules

While the three separate drills pushed forward, rescue teams were creating the capsule that would eventually carry the miners to safety. The diameter of the rescue borehole was 66 centimetres (26 in), meaning each miner had to have a waistline of no more than 90 centimetres (35 in) to escape. In comparison, the Dahlbusch Bomb, a capsule designed in 1955 in Germany and used in several mine rescues, most notably the 1963 Wunder von Lengede ("Miracle of Lengede") mine rescue, were only 38.5 centimetres (15.2 in) in diameter. In order to ensure they were able to fit in the capsule, an exercise regimen for the miners had been implemented. Several major online news media organizations produced illustrations of the capsules' basic design.

The steel rescue capsules, dubbed Fénix (English: Phoenix) were constructed by the Chilean Navy with design help from NASA. “I put together a team of engineers from almost every center around the agency,” said Clint Cragg, principal engineer with the NASA Engineering and Safety Center. “We hammered out a 12 to 13 page list of requirements for the capsule and sent that to the Chilean Minister of Health.” The NASA team proposed about 75 design features, including suggestions that the capsule be built so a miner could get himself in and secured easily, be equipped with an oxygen tank, and include technology to cut down on friction while in the shaft. The Chilean Navy incorporated most of NASA's suggestions and produced three rescue pods, named Fénix 1, 2 and 3 respectively; these were enhanced versions of the Dahlbusch Bomb. Fénix 1 was presented to journalists and the miners' relatives to try out for size.

The capsule in which the 33 men were rescued was the Fénix 2. The capsule was 54 centimetres (21 in) in diameter, narrow enough to avoid hitting the sides of the tunnel and with retractable wheels to allow for a smoother ride to the surface. It had an oxygen supply, lighting, video and voice communications, a reinforced roof to protect against rock falls, and an escape hatch with a safety device to allow the miner to lower himself back down if the capsule became stuck.

Extraction preparation

Fénix-2 capsule on display in front of La Moneda presidential palace in Santiago

Laurence Golborne, Chilean Minister of Mining, announced on 9 October that the rescue operation was not expected to begin before 12 October because multiple steps had to be taken to prepare both the escape shaft and the site for the extraction system:

• Inspection of the borehole to determine how much needed to be encased with steel pipes to prevent rockfalls from jamming the escape capsule
• Installation of steel pipes to prevent loose rocks from jamming the capsule which, depending on how much casing the shaft required, could take up to 96 hours
• Construction of a concrete platform for the the winching rig which would be used to raise and lower the capsule
• Assembly of the winching rig
• Thorough testing of the capsule and winching system

Golborne also indicated he expected only the first 100–200 metres (330–660 ft) of the shaft to be encased, a task that could be performed in only 10 hours. On 9 October, after visual inspection of the shaft with video cameras, it was decided that only the top 96 metres (315 ft) of the shaft would be encased with steel pipes but, eventually, only the first 56 metres (184 ft) were deemed to require encasing. Assembly of a system with a winch and pulleys took another 48 hours. The winch and pulleys were produced and operated by OESTU-Stettin, an Austrian company.

Shortly before the extraction phase began, Golborne told reporters at the mine that rescuers estimated it would take about an hour to bring each miner to the surface and thus he expected the lifting phase of the rescue operation to take up to 48 hours.

See also: International Government Participation and International Corporate Participation

Rescue – "Operación San Lorenzo"

Manuel González , the first rescuer, is preparing to descend into the San José Mine, during "Operación San Lorenzo".

The mine rescue effort to retrieve the miners began on Tuesday, 12 October at 19:00 CLDT and was dubbed Operación San Lorenzo (Operation St. Lawrence) after the patron saint of miners whose statue at Copiapó's church bears a miner's helmet. The first rescuer lowered to the miners was Manuel González, an experienced rescue expert and employee of mining company Codelco, at 23:18 CLDT, following a three-hour delay for final safety tests. During the 18 minute descent, the waiting families and surface rescue team members sang the Canción Nacional (Chile's national anthem). González arrived in the collapsed mine and made contact with the miners at 23:36.

The fifth rescuer, Patricio Sepúlveda, is in the rescue capsule and is being lowered into the San José Mine, during "Operación San Lorenzo".

Extraction

Even though Chilean officials played down the risks of the rescue, the miners needed to be alert during the ascent in case something went wrong. Therefore, the rescue plan indicated that the first four miners to travel up the narrow shaft were to be those "deemed the fittest of body and mind". They could best tell the rescue team about the conditions of the journey and of the remaining miners. After the initial four, the rescues proceeded in order of health, with the least healthy men brought from the mine first.

Procedure

Six hours before his rescue, each miner switched to a purely liquid diet, rich in sugars, minerals and potassium, as recommended by NASA. Miners also used a girdle around the waist to maintain stable blood pressure, and took an aspirin to avert formation of blood clots.

• Each miner was strapped into a harness inside the 21 inches (53 cm) wide bullet-shaped capsule, wearing a green moisture-resistant track coverall and sunglasses to avoid retinal damage from initial exposure to sunlight and other harsh lighting. The capsule included oxygen masks, heart monitors, and video cameras.
• Once the miner was secure inside the capsule, it then ascended at a rate of 1 metre per second (2.2 mph), with an estimated travel time of 9 to 18 minutes.
• When the capsule surfaced, a doctor approached it to check for the miner's alertness. Then, the miner was helped out of the capsule, was immediately reunited with a maximum of three next-of-kin and received a protocolary salute. After this, he was laid on a stretcher and taken to a field hospital for a triage. As none of them needed immediate emergency treatment, each was transferred by ambulance to an office building, still on the mine premises, for a private time with his next-of-kin. Finally, the miners were transferred in groups of 4 by helicopter to Copiapó Hospital, 60 km (40 miles) away, for a 24–48 hour period of medical observation.
• As the previously rescued miner received medical treatment, the capsule repeated its descent.

Rescue

Mario Gómez, the eldest miner, was the ninth to be rescued from the San José Mine, during "Operación San Lorenzo".

The original plan was for the capsule to return to the surface empty after delivering the first rescue worker, to deliver a second rescuer to the mine before bringing the first miner to the surface. However, to avoid delay, rescuers decided to send a miner to the surface in the capsule returning after González was sent down. (The capsule had completed an “empty” trial run the previous day, stopping just 15 metres (49 ft) before the end of the shaft.)

The capsule was quickly rechecked for safety and, after 15 minutes, miner Florencio Ávalos began his ascent from the mine; the scene was filmed live from inside the mine and from the surface and broadcast worldwide. The mine's shift supervisor, Luis Urzúa (54), whose disciplined leadership was credited with keeping the men alive on an emergency food supply during their first 17 days without contact from the outside world, was the last miner to make the journey.

Each transit of the capsule (down or up) was projected to take 15 minutes, for a total time of 33 hours for the entire rescue operation; however, after the capsule's first few transits, it became apparent that the trip might take somewhat less than the projected 15 minutes and each rescue cycle less than 1 hour. As the eighteenth miner was brought to the surface, Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne stated "We have advanced at a faster time than we originally planned. I foresee we might conclude the whole operation before tonight."

Luis Urzúa, the leader of the trapped miners and the last of the 33 to be lifted to freedom, celebrates with President Piñera at San José Mine, during "Operación San Lorenzo".

Luis Urzúa, after stepping free from the rescuers, greeting his son and then embracing President Piñera said, "I've delivered to you this shift of workers, as we agreed I would". The president replied, "I gladly receive your shift, because you completed your duty, leaving last like a good captain." President Piñera went on to say "You are not the same after this, and Chile won't be the same either."

During the rescue, a large Chilean flag was hung in the mine chamber; Luis Urzúa brought it up with him. After all the miners had been extracted, the rescuers in the mine chamber displayed a banner reading "Misión cumplida Chile" ("Mission accomplished Chile"). Manuel González was the first rescuer down and the last up, spending 25 hours 14 minutes in the mine. Rescuers who needed to sleep did so in the mine to avoid delaying the rescue by using capsule journeys. After the last rescuer was out, President Piñera personally covered the top of the rescue shaft with a metal lid. The Fénix 2 made 39 live round trip journeys, traveling about 50 kilometres (31 mi) with human cargo.

Order of miners and rescuers

The iconic image of the six rescuers displaying the famous "Mision Cumplida CHILE" (Mission Complete Chile) sign in San José Mine near Copiapo, Chile.

Before the rescue, the trapped miners were classified into three main groups to determine the exit order, first to last: "hábiles" (skilled), "lábiles" (weak) and "fuertes" (strong). In theory, the first ones to exit should be those more skilled and in the best physical condition, because in the case of any problem (capsule malfunction or collapse of the shaft), they would be capable of an unaided escape from the bottom of the capsule or be able to communicate clearly any other inconvenience to the rescue team on the surface. The second group included miners with medical problems, older men and those with psychological issues. The final group comprised the most mentally tough, as they had to be able to endure the anxiety of the wait; in the words of Minister Mañalich "they don't care to stay another 24 hours inside the mine".

The exit order was as shown below. The penultimate miner rescued, Ariel Ticona, was tasked with communications. The last, Luis Urzúa, a surveyor, was the shift foreman on the day of the collapse and the group leader during the confinement.

	Rescued miners (click "show" to expand the table)
Order Rescued	Miner's name	Age	Rescue time (CLDT)	Cycle time	Comments
1	Florencio Ávalos	31	13 October 00:11	0:51	Video camera operator for the videos sent up to families. He had helped to get his brother Renan a job in the mine.
2	Mario Sepúlveda	40	13 October 01:10	1:00	An electrical specialist known as "the presenter" because he acted as a spokesman and guide on videos that the miners made. He ended one video with "Over to you in the studio."
3	Juan Andrés Illanes	52	13 October 02:07	0:57	A former Chilean Army corporal who served in the Beagle Conflict, a border dispute with Argentina.
4	Carlos Mamani	24	13 October 03:11	1:04	The only Bolivian among the 33, the heavy machinery operator; he moved to Chile a decade ago.
5	Jimmy Sánchez	19	13 October 04:11	1:00	The youngest man trapped; he had only been a miner for five months. He has a baby daughter.
6	Osmán Araya	30	13 October 05:35	1:24	In a video message he told his wife and baby daughter Britany: "I will fight to the end to be with you."
7	José Ojeda	46	13 October 06:22	0:47	Penned the famous note "Estamos bien en el refugio los 33" ("We are okay in the refuge, the 33 of us") which was discovered attached to a probe 17 days after the mine collapse. A grandfather who suffers from kidney problems and has been on medication for diabetes.
8	Claudio Yáñez	34	13 October 07:04	0:42	A drill operator. His longterm partner Cristina Núñez accepted his proposal while he was underground.
9	Mario Gómez	63*	13 October 08:00	0:56	The eldest of the trapped miners, he had been thinking of retirement in November. (Note: *Multiple reliable sources have reported his age as between 60 and 65.)
10	Álex Vega	31	13 October 08:53	0:53	Suffers from kidney problems and hypertension. Had worked in the mine for nine years.
11	Jorge Galleguillos	56	13 October 09:31	0:38	Suffers from hypertension
12	Edison Peña	34	13 October 10:13	0:42	The group's song leader, he requested that Elvis Presley songs be sent down into the mine. The fittest miner, he had reportedly been running 10 km a day while underground. He ran in the 2010 New York City Marathon
13	Carlos Barrios	27	13 October 10:55	0:42	A part-time miner who also drives a taxi and likes horse racing. He was said to be unhappy with interference from psychologists.
14	Víctor Zamora	33	13 October 11:32	0:37	A mechanic who only went into the mine on the day of the collapse to fix a vehicle. He was also a victim of the Chile earthquake in February 2010.
15	Víctor Segovia	48	13 October 12:08	0:36	An electrician and father of four who told his family: "This hell is killing me. When I sleep I dream we are in an oven."
16	Daniel Herrera	27	13 October 12:50	0:42	Truck driver, was given the role of medical assistant in the mine.
17	Omar Reygadas	56	13 October 13:39	0:49	A bulldozer operator whose children have been keeping a diary of their life above ground on BBC News.
18	Esteban Rojas	44	13 October 14:49	1:10	Told his longtime partner Jessica Yáñez that he will marry her in a church as soon as he gets out.
19	Pablo Rojas	45	13 October 15:28	0:39	He had worked in the mine for less than six months when the accident happened. His brother Esteban was trapped with him.
20	Darío Segovia	48	13 October 15:59	0:31	A drill operator, he is a son of a miner, and his father was once trapped for a week. His sister María led prayers at Camp Hope.
21	Yonni Barrios	50	13 October 16:31	0:32	Served as the group medic and supervised their medical care.
22	Samuel Ávalos	43	13 October 17:04	0:33	He was given the responsibility of checking air quality. A father-of-three who had worked in the mine for five months.
23	Carlos Bugueño	27	13 October 17:33	0:29	Friends with fellow trapped miner Pedro Cortez.
24	José Henríquez	54	13 October 17:59	0:26	A preacher who has worked in mining for 33 years, he had become the miners' pastor and organized daily prayers.
25	Renán Ávalos	29	13 October 18:24	0:25	Trapped along with his older brother Florencio.
26	Claudio Acuña	44	13 October 18:51	0:27	Had his birthday in the mine on September 9.
27	Franklin Lobos	53	13 October 19:18	0:27	A well known former football player known as the "magic mortar".
28	Richard Villarroel	27	13 October 19:45	0:27	The mechanic had worked in the mine for two years
29	Juan Carlos Aguilar	49	13 October 20:13	0:28	A married father of one.
30	Raúl Bustos	40	13 October 20:37	0:24	A hydraulics engineer, was a victim of the February earthquake in Chile. He moved north, finding work at the mine to support his wife and two children.
31	Pedro Cortez	26	13 October 21:02	0:25	Went to school near the mine. He and his friend Carlos Bugueno, who was also trapped, started work there at the same time.
32	Ariel Ticona	29	13 October 21:30	0:28	The group's communications specialist. His wife gave birth to a daughter on Sept 14 and he could watch the arrival on video. He named her Esperanza, which means "Hope".
33	Luis Urzúa	54	13 October 21:55	0:25	The shift foreman, known as Don Lucho by other miners, took a leading role while they were trapped and he made more accurate maps of their cave for the rescue crews.

Note: the Chilean newspaper El Mercurio published a widely circulated, but incorrect, early list of the miners' names with two errors: it omitted Esteban Rojas and Claudio Acuña and wrongly included the names of Roberto López Bordones and William Órdenes. The list above is correct and up to date according to the Ministry of Mining website.

	Rescue workers who descended (click "show" to expand the table)
Order Descended	Rescue worker	Affiliation	Descent time (CLDT)	Extraction time (CLDT)	Time spent inside mine	Cycle time	Down trip no.
1.	Manuel González	El Teniente Mine	12 October 23:18	14 October 00:32	25:14	0:27	1
2.	Roberto Ríos, Sgt	Chilean Marine Corps	13 October 00:16	14 October 00:05	23:49	0:23	2
3.	Patricio Robledo, Cpl	Chilean Marine Corps	13 October 01:18	13 October 23:42	22:24	0:25	3
4.	Jorge Bustamante	El Teniente Mine	13 October 10:22	13 October 23:17	12:55	0:24	13
5.	Patricio Sepúlveda, Cpl	GOPE (police medic)	13 October 12:14	13 October 22:53	10:39	0:23	16
6.	Pedro Rivero	Carola Mine	13 October 19:23	13 October 22:30	3:07	0:35	28

Notes:

1. The extraction times for the rescuers are correct but may be out of order and not listed next to the actual corresponding rescue worker
2. "Down trip no." is the number of the capsule journey that he was sent down on

Reaction to the rescue

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera and First Lady Cecilia Morel present a souvenir gift rock from the San Jose Mine to Queen Elizabeth II on 18 October 2010 during a state visit to the UK.

Main article: Reaction to the 2010 Copiapó mining accident

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera and First Lady Cecilia Morel were present during the rescue. Bolivian President Evo Morales was also scheduled to be on location for the rescue but did not arrive in time for the rescue of the trapped Bolivian miner, Carlos Mamani. A number of foreign leaders contacted Piñera to express solidarity and pass on congratulations to Chile while the rescue efforts were ongoing, including the Presidents of Argentina, Brazil, Colombia, Peru, South Africa, Uruguay, Venezuela, and Poland, and Prime Ministers of the United Kingdom, Ireland, (who also wrote personally to the Chilean president and the Clare-based designers and manufacturers of the rescue drill), and of Spain. Other foreign leaders including President of Mexico, Felipe Calderón and U.S. President Barack Obama praised the rescue efforts and passed on their hopes and prayers to the miners and their families. Pope Benedict XVI left a video message in Spanish praying for the success of the rescue operation.

After all the miners were rescued, Piñera gave a speech on location in which he was effusive in his praise of Chile and said he was "proud to be the president of all Chileans." He invoked Chile's recently passed Bicentennial celebrations and said the miners were rescued with "unity, hope and faith." He also thanked Chávez and Morales, amongst others, for their calls of support and solidarity. He said those who forced the rescue (i.e. those responsible for the collapse of the mine) would be punished, and said there would be a "new deal" with the workers.

Miners post-rescue

President Piñera visiting the rescued miners in Copiapó Hospital in October 2010

By 19 October, all 33 of the men had been released from the hospital. All but two of the men were released to go home within 48 hours of the rescue; Mario Sepúlveda remained hospitalized for further psychological evaluation because of concerns that he had not yet adapted to life outside the mine but was released on 16 October. Meanwhile, Víctor Zamora remained for additional treatment of a dental infection and was released on 19 October.

Health concerns

Their doctors marveled at how well the men had coped physically with their time underground, but the media frenzy surrounding the men since their return concerned the Chilean Health Minister, Jaime Mañalich. He requested that the media treat the miners "with dignity and respect", and went on to say they needed "rest and repose" so they have the chance to come to terms with the events of the last 70 days. "They are still on an emotional roller-coaster". The medical team's psychologist, Alberto Iturra, warned that the miners were exhausted. "When that happens, your sensitivity rises to the maximum at the same time as your tolerance falls to almost nothing". Regardless, President Piñera challenged the men to a friendly soccer game and invited them to state functions including a visit to the presidential palace and the grand opening of a transcontinental highway.

Marc Siegel, an associate professor of medicine at the NYU Langone Medical Center, said that lack of sunlight could potentially cause problems with muscles, bones and other organs. Jane Aubin, scientific director of the Institute of Musculoskeletal Health and Arthritis at the Canadian Institute for Health Research, said the miners will have to be monitored closely. “They haven’t been as physically active as you would want [them] to be, so they have undoubtedly experienced some muscle loss,” she said. “Probably after that extended period of time, in both a confined space and in relative darkness, they’ve also probably experienced some bone loss.” The team of psychologists who spoke to the miners daily in the mine will continue to follow their progress.

"Los 33" miners pose for a photo with the opposing team of rescuers at a soccer game held in their honor at the National Stadium 24 October 2010

Officials considered canceling plans for a thanksgiving mass for the men and their families at Campamento Esperanza, on 17 October, because of fears that a premature return to the site could be damaging. “It’s not a good idea that they go back to the mine so soon,” said Iturra. Dr Jorge Díaz, head of the miners' medical team at Copiapó regional hospital said "We have a group of workers who are absolutely normal people, they weren't selected from a group of applicants to be astronauts, nor were they people who underwent rigorous tests, therefore we don't know when the post-traumatic stress syndrome can appear."

Conversely, post-traumatic growth, positive psychological change experienced as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances could also result. Their triumph in a highly challenging environment could also increase their self-confidence and strengthen bonds with each other and with their families. “When people are deprived ... it can be really adverse, it can really mess up a person. With these guys, they were together,” said Charles Nelson, a psychologist with the operational stress injury clinic at Parkwood Hospital in London, Ontario, Peter Suedfeld, a professor emeritus at the University of British Columbia, said the men are less likely to have trouble returning to their jobs. “Sailors who have been shipwrecked, for example … many of them go back to sea,” he said. “They’ll feel that they can cope with anything that comes up.”

Activities

On Sunday, 17 October, six of the 33 rescued miners attended a multi-denominational memorial mass led by an evangelical pastor and a Roman Catholic priest at "Campamento Esperanza" (Camp Hope) where anxious relatives had awaited the men's return. Some of the rescuers who helped bring the miners to the surface were also attending. Reporters and cameras mobbed the miners prompting the police to intervene to protect them. Omar Reygadas' family was swarmed by the media after they left the service and his 2-year-old great-granddaughter was pushed by the crowd and started crying. As Reygadas picked her up the cameras zoomed in. Reygadas stayed calm but offered his only answer in response to their questions: “I’ve had nightmares these days,” Reygadas said from inside the little tent while reporters jockeyed for position, “but the worst nightmare is all of you.”

The 33 miners plan to start a foundation so they can use their experience to help in the field of mine safety. Yonni Barrios said "We're thinking about creating a foundation to solve [safety] problems in the mining industry. With this, with the experience that we had had, God help us, we should be able to solve these problems." Juan Illanes told El Mercurio "We have to decide how to direct our project so this type of thing never happens again. It needs to be done, but these things don't happen quickly".

On 24 October, the miners attended a reception hosted by President Pinera at the Presidential palace in the capital, Santiago, and were awarded medals celebrating Chile's independence bicentennial. Outside, the men posed for photographs alongside the Phoenix rescue capsule that winched them to the surface that has been installed in the main square in Santiago. Afterward, at the National Stadium, the freed miners played their rescuers in a football match including President Piñera, Laurence Golborne, mining minister, and Jaime Manalich, the health minister. Team "Esperanza" (Hope), led by Franklin Lobos, all wore the same number, "33", against the government team but lost 2-3.

Aftermath of the accident

Los 33 miners attending a ceremony hosted by President Piñera at the Presidential Palace on 24 October 2010 after their rescue from the San Jose Mine

Political

Immediately following the San José mine collapse, President Piñera dismissed top officials of Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería de Chile (abbreviated Sernageomin), Chile's mining regulatory agency and vowed to undertake a major overhaul of the department in light of the accident. Eighteen mines were shut down in the days following the accident and a further 300 may be ordered to close. The San José mine's long-term fate is unclear; it is currently closed and will remain in limbo for an extended period as judicial processes are followed.

President Piñera presenting miniature Chilean flag and escape capsule souvenirs to shift leader Luis Urzúa during a ceremony at the Presidential Palace on 24 October 2010

On 25 October, a preliminary report by the Commission on Work Safety, established by President Piñera in response to the accident, was delivered to the President ahead of schedule. The report is a direct result of the San Jose mining accident and contains 30 proposals ranging from improvements in hygiene to better coordination of local regulators. Although the commission had set Nov. 22 as the date to deliver its final report, it says it was able to discover a clear picture of job safety from sessions in both Santiago and regions throughout Chile. The commission held 204 hearings and reviewed 119 suggestions that came from online input. Throughout the ordeal, President Piñera stressed the importance of rescuing the miners regardless of the cost. The rescue operation was expensive and estimates surpass US$20 million, excluding the expenses to build, maintain and secure "Campamento Esperanza" (Camp Hope). These costs exceed the total business debt of the owner of the mine, the San Esteban Mining Company, which is currently about US$19 million. The state mining company Codelco contributed about 75% of the cost while private companies responded to the emergency and donated services worth more than US$5 million to the rescue.

Los 33 miners posing with President Piñera and the First Lady of Chile in the Blue Room of the Presidential Palace on 24 October 2010

The French credit rating agency Coface declared that the reputational impact of the dramatic mining rescue will have a positive impact on the Andean nation's economy. "It provides to international investors an image of a country where you can do safe [sic] business," Coface's UK managing director, Xavier Denecker, says. "It gives a good impression in terms of technology, solidarity and efficiency." Coface rates countries according to the probability of private sector companies being successful. Chile holds its highest rating in South America: A2. The UK, in comparison, is inferior–an A3.

Legal

A lawsuit has been filed against the company and a judge has frozen US$2 million in assets; a lawyer for several of the miners' families described this as a refutation of the company's claims of not having even enough money to pay salaries.

On 21 October, San Esteban Mining Company, sent out a public statement, signed by Chief of Operations Carlos Pinilla and mine manager Pedro Simunovic, that insisted that no company official "had the slightest indication that a catastrophe could occur.” Miner Jorge Gallardo insisted that there was no way the owners could have been unaware of the situation since everything was recorded and his daily safety reports were signed by Pinilla. Rescued miner Victor Zamora commented “What made me sad was that people were dying because the company did not want to have something safer and only thought about money".

Monument and legacy

Chilean President Sebastián Piñera has suggested turning Camp Hope into a memorial or museum to honour the men.

The Fénix 2 capsule that was used in Operación San Lorenzo at the San José mine was placed on the Plaza de la Constitución, in front of Chile's presidential palace in Santiago. Currently, one of the backup capsules is in Copiapó and the other was sent to China for display in Chile's exhibit at the Shanghai Expo. Discussions are under way for a permanent display of the capsule and possibly some type of museum; potential locations include both Copiapó, the city nearby the accident site, and Talcahuano, 1,300 miles (2,100 km) south, where the capsules were built at a Chilean navy workshop.

Social impact

"Why has the Chilean miners' rescue left me this euphoric? The feverish media coverage and product placement should jar. But there it is – a flash of global joy." asked the Guardian's Zoe Williams. Two prominent U.K. newspapers featured stories critical of the BBC for sending a news crew of two dozen as overkill. Regardless, the BBC contingent was unable to fulfill demand. Local stations in Northern Ireland and Wales were forced to interview non-BBC journalists at the mine. The Guardian reported that "the demand for coverage was astounding".

The Guardian asked the rhetorical questions "The story has now moved to a new, potentially ugly phase: chasing los 33 for details about their confinement – did they fight? Did they have sex? – and soap opera-style coverage of their private lives. Will they dump wives and girlfriends as celebrity calls?" In El Pais, Hernán Rivera Letelier, a well known Chilean writer and former miner, offered advice to the miners: "I hope that the avalanche of lights and cameras and flashes that is rushing towards you is a light one. It's true that you've survived a long season in hell, but, when all's said and done, it was a hell you knew. "What's heading your way, now, comrades, is a hell that you have not experienced at all: the hell of the show, the alienating hell of TV sets. I've only got one thing to say to you, my friends: grab hold of your family. Don't let them go, don't let them out of your sight, don't waste them. Hold on to them as you hung on to the capsule that brought you out. It's the only way to survive this media deluge that's raining down on you."

The Daily Telegraph reported that the miners have hired an accountant to ensure that they fairly share any income from their new celebrity status; including expected book and film deals. The men agreed to "speak as one" when they discuss their experience. While still trapped, they appointed one of their group to be their official biographer and another, their poet.

The first of the expected books on the rescue, "Under the Earth: The 33 Miners that Moved the World" - is nearing completion. Another book called "33 Men, Buried Alive: The Inside Story of the Trapped Chilean Miners", by Jonathan Franklin, a writer for The Guardian, should be released in early 2011.

The men have been swamped with requests for television appearances. Mario ("Super Mario") Sepúlveda was asked to participate with other local stars in Chile's annual TV charity drive for children, the Teleton. Miami TV host Don Francisco invited the men to his "Sabado Gigante", an immensely popular Spanish-language television show that is the longest-running variety TV show in the world.

Yonni Barrios has been offered US$100,000 to become the face of an online dating service and to appear in advertisements in North, Central and South America. A reflection of the fame of the situation is that the internet domain name los33mineros.cl has been bid on three times and estamosbienenelrefugiolos33.cl four times as of October 2010.

Edison Peña accepted an invitation by the New York Road Runners to run the 41st New York City Marathon. On his arrival at Kennedy Airport on 4 November 2010 he was welcomed by Haile Gebrselassie and Hendrick Ramaala. He also appeared as guest on CBS's Late Show with David Letterman and was present at the New York Stock Exchange's closing bell ceremony, where he banged the gavel. Peña —an Elvis Presley fan— was invited by Elvis Presley Enterprises to visit Graceland during Elvis’ annual birthday celebration in January 2011 and also to visit Las Vegas to watch Viva Elvis, a Cirque du Soleil show based on Elvis' music.

The first of many expected TV documentaries was aired by NOVA on the US Public Broadcasting System on 26 October 2010. An Australian documentary will be broadcast in December 2010.

Timeline of events

This is a general chronology of the events, from the beginning:

• 5 August 2010 (2010-08-05): Rock-fall at the San José mine in Atacama Desert in northern Chile leaves 33 gold and copper miners trapped 2,300 feet below ground.
• 7 August 2010 (2010-08-07): Second collapse hampers rescue efforts and blocks access to lower parts of the mine. Rescuers begin drilling boreholes to send down listening devices.
• 22 August 2010 (2010-08-22): 17 days after the first collapse, a note is found attached to one of the probes, saying: "All 33 of us are well inside the shelter." The miners were in a shelter having lunch when the first collapse occurred, and had survived on rations. Food, medical supplies, clothes and bedding began to be sent down the borehole.
• 27 August 2010 (2010-08-27): The miners send first video greetings to the surface.
• 30 August 2010 (2010-08-30): First attempt to drill a hole to rescue the men, Plan A, begins.
• 5 September 2010 (2010-09-05): Plan B drilling begins.
• 18 September 2010 (2010-09-18): Miners celebrate Chilean Bicentennial holiday underground.
• 24 September 2010 (2010-09-24): Miners had now been trapped underground for 50 days, longer than anyone else in history.
• 9 October 2010 (2010-10-09): Plan B drill breaks through to the miners' workshop.
• 11 October 2010 (2010-10-11): "Fénix 2" rescue capsule is tested to ensure that it can pass up and down the newly completed shaft.
• 12 October 2010 (2010-10-12): Rescue begins at 23:20 CLDT.
• 13 October 2010 (2010-10-13): Last of the 33 miners is brought up to the surface and rescued, at 21:56 CLDT.
• 14 October 2010 (2010-10-14): First 3 miners released from hospital.
• 15 October 2010 (2010-10-15): 28 more miners released from hospital, 2 remain for further treatment; dental and psychological follow-up.
• 16 October 2010 (2010-10-16): Mario Sepúlveda was discharged from hospital after additional psychological tests.
• 19 October 2010 (2010-10-19): Víctor Zamora released from hospital after having serious dental surgery.
• 25 October 2010 (2010-10-25): The rescued miners were honored at "La Moneda" presidential palace, met with President Sebastián Piñera, posed for pictures with the "Fénix 2" capsule and played a friendly game of football against a team from the rescuers at the "Estadio Nacional"(football) (National Football Stadium).

See also

{{{inline}}}

• Kathy Fiscus was a Californian child who fell down a well in 1949 and whose two day rescue attempt was broadcast live on radio and TV.
• Alfredo Rampi fell down a well in 1981 in Italy, the rescue attempt was broadcast live for 18 hours.
• Jessica McClure was a Texas toddler trapped in a well with the rescue televised live on CNN.
• Quecreek Mine Rescue involved a similar rescue capsule in Pennsylvania, July 2002 to rescue a trapped mining crew.

External links

• Media related to 2010 Copiapó mining accident at Wikimedia Commons

Official government websites

• Official Website of Chile's Government (Spanish)
• Official Website of the Ministry of Mining (English Overview)

Photos

• Official Chilean Government Images Flickr Photo Sets, October 2010
• High-Resolution, Aerial Image of Mine Site, (large image), DigiMapas, October 2010
• Trapped Chilean Miners Life magazine Slideshow, October 2010
• Chile mine rescue – Jubilation BBC News Slideshow, October 2010

Videos

• Emergency Mine Rescue, NOVA Documentary , PBS, 53 minutes, 26 October 2010
• Miners Deep Inside Chilean Mine, CBS News, 3 minutes, 27 August 2010
• Rescue Timeline (Plans with Animations), CBS News, 4.5 minutes, 15 October 2010
• Elation As Trapped Chile Miners Found Alive, Sky News, 1 minute, 23 August 2010
• First of 33 Chilean Miners Rescued, CBS News, 1 minute, 12 October 2010
• Final Chilean Miner Rescued, Fox News, 7 minutes, 14 October 2010
• Miners on the Mend After Rescue, Reuters News, 2 minutes, 14 August 2010