https://www.miningweekly.com

Chilean miner trapped underground a decade ago recalls the day he saw the light

14th October 2020

By: Reuters

  

Font size: - +

SANTIAGO – The spectacular rescue a decade ago of 33 miners trapped for two months underground in Chile´s far-flung Atacama desert made headlines around the world.

One of the survivors recalled in an interview with Reuters on Monday the drama of the last few moments before his escape, when rescuers threaded him through a narrow gap in the rock in a capsule designed for the purpose.

Mario Sepúlveda, the group's leader and the second man to be rescued, remembered his fear as the capsule hauled him upwards out of the darkness, not knowing if the plan would work.

"On the way out, it was terrible, terrible," Sepúlveda said. "I screamed. I just wanted to get out, to see the light."

He and other miners were trapped by a mine collapse on August 5, 2010 at the San José mine, a small deposit nestled among dusty, desert hills near the city of Copiapó, about 800 km north of Santiago.

No one knew whether the miners, far beneath the surface, were alive or dead until they were able to convey a note to the surface in a probe sent down by authorities on August 22. "We are fine in the shelter, the 33 of us," said the note, written in red ink.

The final rescue, broadcast live around the globe, took place on October 13 of that year with each man emerging alive.

The miners have since become stars. Their story prompted a movie, with Spaniard Antonio Banderas starring as Mario Sepúlveda.

On Tuesday, Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, whose first government oversaw the rescue operations, led a commemoration ceremony at the La Moneda Presidential palace.

"We should remember and learn the lessons of the miracle of the San Jose mine, to confront with the same willpower, faith, unity and strength...the great new challenges of coronavirus before us," Pinera said in a televised speech.

Edited by Reuters

Comments

The content you are trying to access is only available to subscribers.

If you are already a subscriber, you can Login Here.

If you are not a subscriber, you can subscribe now, by selecting one of the below options.

For more information or assistance, please contact us at subscriptions@creamermedia.co.za.

Option 1 (equivalent of R125 a month):

Receive a weekly copy of Creamer Media's Engineering News & Mining Weekly magazine
(print copy for those in South Africa and e-magazine for those outside of South Africa)
Receive daily email newsletters
Access to full search results
Access archive of magazine back copies
Access to Projects in Progress
Access to ONE Research Report of your choice in PDF format

Option 2 (equivalent of R375 a month):

All benefits from Option 1
PLUS
Access to Creamer Media's Research Channel Africa for ALL Research Reports, in PDF format, on various industrial and mining sectors including Electricity; Water; Energy Transition; Hydrogen; Roads, Rail and Ports; Coal; Gold; Platinum; Battery Metals; etc.

Already a subscriber?

Forgotten your password?

MAGAZINE & ONLINE

SUBSCRIBE

RESEARCH CHANNEL AFRICA

SUBSCRIBE

CORPORATE PACKAGES

CLICK FOR A QUOTATION