The story of the Chilean miners

It’s not often you get a happy disaster story. But on Sunday – two weeks after their mineshaft in northern Chile caved in – all 33 miners acknowledged they were alive.

Trapped after rocks blocked their exit, they managed to live in a shelter 700 metres (2,300 feet) underground.

But rather than bring them straight out, rescuers now say they won’t be able to get them out until Christmas, posing a serious challenge ahead for the miners.

The accident

The small San Jose copper and gold mine near Copiapo is owned by San Esteben Mining Company, an operator with a poor safety record.

After several accidents at the mine including one death, a government report in July warned that the owners had failed to reinforce the roof. But nothing had been done about it.

On August 5, the roof of the mine collapsed, blocking the main access way 330 metres (1,100 feet) below the surface. Little was known about the fate of the miners trapped inside.

The rescue attempt

Rescue efforts began on 6 August, supervised by various government officials and ministers.

The next day President Sebastian Pinera returned from the swearing in of Colombia’s new president to oversee the emergency response.

A second rock fall occurred on August 7 blocking the ventilation shaft after rescuers themselves tried to use it to access the mine. Following that, rescuers began drilling several bore holes the width of grapefruits into the mine.

On August 19 the first drill reached the area where rescuers thought the miners were located but did not encounter any sign of life.

Finally, on Sunday August 22, one of the drills reached the depth of the shelter, and rescuers heard a tapping on the drill.

The miners then duck taped a handwritten note on a piece of paper to the end of the drill saying “The 33 of us in the shelter are well.”

A video image of their faces hours later showed they were in much better condition than expected.

After reading out the note, an emotional President Pinera said “Today all of Chile is crying with excitement and joy.” People across Chile waived flags, honked car horns and broke into applause when the news was announced.

But the rescue is far from over.

The plan is now to drill a 66cm-wide hole to where the miners are and bring them to the surface one by one using a pulley (a separate shaft will be drilled for ventilation).

Given the instability of the mine, they estimate the process of deciding where to drill plus the actual drilling will take about four months, meaning it won’t be until late-December before the miners are freed.

Rescuers haven’t broken that news to them yet and some psychological experts suggest not doing so at all. However, it’s believed some of the more senior miners might understand this reality already.

Conditions underground

The miners are living in a 50 sq metre shelter (the size of a small apartment) where food, water and oxygen were stored.

However, workers familiar with the mine believe they may actually have about 1.8km of space to move around in.

The miners have been surviving on two spoonfuls of tuna, a sip of milk and a biscuit every 48 hours – causing them to lose about 8kg each – and extra water from tanks, drilling machines and ventilation shafts.

They used truck batteries to power lights and charge their helmet lamps.

Using a 5-foot plastic tube that takes about an hour, rescuers are lowering down high-energy glucose gels, rehydration tablets and medicine, as well as more water and oxygen. Normal food will start to be delivered in the next few days.

Further requests have included toothbrushes and something for their eyes.

Lines of communication are open now between the miners and the rescuers, and microphones will be sent down so they can talk to their families.

Psychiatrists will be working with doctors to monitor their psychological conditions.

The pressure on the miners over the next four months is likely to be immense. The mine’s extreme heat (32C) and humidity will dehydrate them, sap energy levels, and likely cause tension.

They won’t be used to the heat and lack of sunlight for such a long period of time. Experts say they will need to exercise, keep busy and above all avoid infections.

There have been suggestions the mine’s owner will be made bankrupt once the ordeal is over. And President Pinera has already sacked the chief of the national mining regulator who oversees mine safety.

As it stands, authorities will probably consider the whole incident a lucky escape and a cheap lesson. Disasters of this nature usually bring only sad news for the country involved.

So Chileans, who have already experienced a heartbreaking earthquake this year, will be relieved to know that this story comes with a happy ending.

By The Casual Truth

Photo – President Sebastian Pinera shows off the miners’ note.