At the moment, we could all use some good news, so let's revisit the improbable rescue of "Los 33".
50 miles (80 km) northwest of the town of Copiapó, Chile, in the midst of the Atacama Desert, lies the San Jose gold and copper mine. Chile is the world's top producer of copper, and for decades prior to 2010, the country had a relatively high incidence of deaths due to mining accidents, and the San Jose mine had a particularly high number of incidents.
Location of San Jose Mine
Location of San Jose Mine. Source: NordNordWest/Wikimedia Commons
Mine owner Compañía Minera San Esteban (CMSE) (English: San Esteban Mining Company), was fined 42 times between the years 2004 and 2010 for ignoring safety regulations. To attract workers, CMSE offered higher than normal wages to Chile's already well-paid copper miners.
August 5, 2010 collapse
The various levels of the San Jose mine were accessed by a helical-shaped road that wound its way down to a depth of 2,625 feet (800 m). At 2:00 p.m. on August 5, 2010, the mine catastrophically collapsed. A group of miners working at a higher level managed to escape, however, a second group comprised of 33 men was trapped 2,300 feet (701 m) below ground.
