Web Magazine

Chile has concluded an unprecedented rescue of the miners from underground captivity. For a happy ending to tragic story seen around the world.


1933 Miner spent on a tiny patch of a collapsed mine a record 69 days. The last of underground captivity was released 54-year-old shift supervisor Luis Ursu. On the surface of the miners waited for relatives and friends of miners met personally President Sebastian Pinera. Head of State personally thanked the last rescued miner - shift supervisor for the fact that he helped his companions to survive during the first 17 days before rescuers are able to establish contact with them. Unprecedented rescue operation was launched on the eve of about 6:15 GMT. Before the rescuers was a task - to raise the surface of all the miners within 36 hours. However, the operation was completed much earlier. Miners lifted to the surface one by one in a metal capsule with the depth of 624 m. At the insistence of doctors were the first to raise the most healthy and morally trained miners, who were to experience the perilous climb up a narrow vertical tunnel.

Past two months, the miners had the thought that never again see loved ones, that certainly left a strong emotional imprint on the psyche of workers. In total, the miners held a captive in the underground for 69 days, breaking the record for staying under the ground in such emergency situations, more than twice. One of the miners at this time born daughter, whom he first saw when rescuers brought him to the surface. Recall the collapse of rocks at the mine, located 800 km north of the Chilean capital Santiago, occurred on 5 August. After 17 days, the rescuers managed to locate land mines, where they found refuge in 1933 miner. “Today the whole country is crying from happiness,” - said while the country’s president Sebastian Pinera. Then rescuers drilled a small hole depth of 700 m, which is blocked by the miners was transferred to the surface of the two notes saying that they are all alive in the shelter with food and water. Then the shaft was lowered a video camera, allowing the miners managed to make visual contact. But the bored hole was too small to make it through to lift the miners to the surface. Later they were in the tunnel were built three narrow wells in which water, food and medicine. Every day, the miners were working psychologists. At this time the country was preparing for the unparalleled worldwide rescue effort.