The 33, Copiapó Mine Rescue in 2010
On this day during on October 13, 2010, the Copiapó mining accident in Chile comes to a happy end as all 33 miners arrive at the surface after rescue a record 69 days underground.
2010, Copiapó Mine Rescue
The 2010 Copiapó mining accident, also known then as the “Chilean mining accident”, began on Thursday, August 05, 2010, with a cave-in at the San José copper-gold mine.
Mine is located in the Atacama Desert 45 kilometers (28 mi) north of the regional capital of Copiapó, in northern Chile. Thirty-three men, trapped 700 meters (2,300 ft) underground and 5 kilometers (3 mi) from the mine’s entrance via spiraling underground ramps, were rescued after 69 days.
After the state-owned mining company, Codelco, took over rescue efforts from the mine’s owners, exploratory boreholes were drilled.
Seventeen days after the accident, a note was found taped to a drill bit pulled back to the surface: “Estamos Bien en el Refugio Los 33” (We are well in the shelter, the 33 of us).
“The 33” file is based on the real events of the mining disaster.
Drilling rig teams
Three separate drilling rig teams, nearly every Chilean government ministry, the United States’s space agency, NASA, and a dozen corporations from around the world cooperated in completing the rescue.
On October 13, 2010, the men were winched to the surface one at a time, in a specially built capsule. Estimate that 5.3 million people watched via video stream around the world. With few exceptions, all were in good medical condition with no long-term physical effects anticipated.
Cost of the rescue mission
Private donations covered one-third of the US$20 million cost of the rescue mission, with the rest came from the mine owners and the government.
No charge filed
After three years of work, lawsuits and investigations into the mine collapse concluded in August 2013 with no charge filed.
Key members of the trapped group
- Luis Urzúa (54), the shift foreman who immediately recognized the gravity of the situation and the difficulty of any rescue attempt.
- Florencio Ávalos (31), second in command of the group, assisted Urzúa in organizing the men.
- Yonni Barrios (50), became the medic of the trapped miners due to the six months of training he took to care for his elderly mother.
- Mario Gómez (63), the eldest miner, became the religious leader of the group, organizing a chapel with a shrine containing statues of saints.
- José Henríquez (54), a preacher and a miner for 33 years, 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.
- Ariel Ticona (29), served as the group’s communications specialist, installing and maintaining the underground portion of the telephone and videoconferencing systems sent down by the surface team.
The 33 rescued miners
- Florencio Ávalos (31)
- Mario Sepúlveda (40)
- Juan Andrés Illanes (52)
- Carlos Mamani (24)
- Jimmy Sánchez (19)
- Osmán Araya (30)
- José Ojeda (46)
- Claudio Yáñez (34)
- Mario Gómez (60 to 65)
- Álex Vega (31)
- Jorge Galleguillos (56)
- Edison Peña (34)
- Carlos Barrios (27)
- Víctor Zamora (33)
- Víctor Segovia (48)
- Daniel Herrera (27)
- Omar Reygadas (56)
- Esteban Rojas (44)
- Pablo Rojas (45)
- Darío Segovia (48)
- Yonni Barrios (50)
- Samuel Ávalos (43)
- Carlos Bugueño (27)
- José Henríquez (54)
- Renán Ávalos (29)
- Claudio Acuña (44)
- Franklin Lobos (53)
- Richard Villarroel (27)
- Juan Carlos Aguilar (49)
- Raúl Bustos (40)
- Pedro Cortez (26)
- Ariel Ticona (29)
- Luis Urzúa (54)
