2010 Copiapó mining accident
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.
Rescue efforts at the mine on 10 August 2010
The San José mine is approximately at the center of this satellite image
Piñera holds the message sent by the miners alongside Mining Minister Golborne (red jacket, blue shirt)
First image captured by a video camera lowered down the borehole
The San José Mine is a small copper-gold mine located near Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile. The mine became known internationally for its collapse in 2010, which trapped 33 miners 700 metres (2,300 ft) underground. Its workings are reached by a long sloping roadway with many spiral turns, not by a vertical mineshaft.
San José de Copiapó mine during the 2010 mining accident rescue efforts, on August 10.