2010 Copiapó mining accident
Rescue efforts at the mine on 10 August 2010 | |
| Date |
|
|---|---|
| Time | 14:05 CLT (UTC−04:00) |
| Location | San José mine, near Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile |
| Coordinates | 27°09′31″S 70°29′52″W / 27.158609°S 70.497655°W |
| Outcome | All 33 trapped miners rescued |
| Property damage | Total closure and loss as of August 2010 |
| Litigation | US$1.8 million lawsuit as of August 2010 |
The 2010 Copiapó mining accident, also known 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. 33 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.
Chile is the world's top producer of copper, but many workers die in mining incidents, as high as 43 in 2008. The mine was owned by the San Esteban Mining Company, known for making unsafe mines. The company ignored warnings by the Chilean Safety Administration, leading to the collapse and the eventual rescue.
The collapse happened on 14:00 CLT on 5 August 2010, where 34 people were present. One man managed to get out, but 33 others were stuck inside the mine. The group were forced to the refuge after a ladder, required by safety codes, was missing. 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 Refuge - the 33").
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. With few exceptions, they were in good medical condition with no long-term physical effects anticipated. 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.
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. After three years, lawsuits and investigations into the collapse concluded in August 2013 with no charges filed.