2010 Copiapó mining accident
Cave-in and miner rescue at a mine in Atacama Region, Chile / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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The 2010 Copiapó mining accident, also known then as the "Chilean mining accident", began on 5 August 2010, with a cave-in at the San José copper–gold mine, located in the Atacama Desert 45 kilometers (28 mi) north of the regional capital of Copiapó, in northern Chile. Thirty-three men were trapped 700 meters (2,300 ft) underground and 5 kilometers (3 mi) from the mine's entrance, and were rescued after 69 days.[1][2]
Date |
|
---|---|
Time | 14:05 CLT (UTC−04:00) |
Location | San José mine, near Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile |
Coordinates | 27.158609°S 70.497655°W / -27.158609; -70.497655 |
Outcome | All 33 trapped miners rescued |
Property damage | Total closure and loss as of August 2010[update][needs update] |
Litigation | US$1.8 million lawsuit as of August 2010[update][needs update] |
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").
Three separate drilling rig teams; nearly every Chilean government ministry; the United States' space agency, NASA; and a dozen corporations from around the world cooperated in completing the rescue. On 13 October 2010, the men were winched to the surface one at a time, in a specially built capsule, as an estimated 5.3 million people watched via video stream worldwide.[3][4][5] With few exceptions, they were in good medical condition with no long-term physical effects anticipated.[6] Private donations covered one-third of the US$20 million cost of the rescue, with the rest coming from the mine owners and the government.[7]
Previous geological instability at the old mine and a long record of safety violations for the mine's owners, San Esteban Mining Company, had resulted in a series of fines and accidents, including eight deaths, during the dozen years leading up to this accident.[8][9][10] After three years, lawsuits and investigations into the collapse concluded in August 2013 with no charges filed.[11]