Here’s a look at the 2010 rescue of 33 miners from a collapsed mine in the Atacama region of northern Chile.
Timeline:
August 5, 2010 – A collapse of the main ramp into the San Jose mine leaves 33 miners trapped 2,300 feet underground. Emergency officials are unable to communicate with the trapped miners.
August 6, 2010 – A statement from Chile’s National Emergency Office says 130 people are working to rescue the miners.
August 7, 2010 – Rescuers face a setback when another cave-in blocks the path they were using to reach the miners. Chilean President Sebastian Pinera travels to Copiapo, where the mine is located, to meet with officials.
August 22, 2010 – The miners send a note up tied to a probe which was lowered by authorities earlier in the day. Written in red ink, it reads, “We are fine in the shelter, the 33 of us.”
August 23, 2010 – A second probe reaches the miners. Rescuers are now capable of relaying communications and can send food and water to miners. Before this, the miners survive by sharing small amounts of tuna and mackerel that were in the shelter, along with water.
August 24, 2010 – Experts from NASA and Chilean navy submarine experts are called to help address the psychological toll the isolation can take on the miners.
August 26, 2010 – Miners send a video message to their families expressing thanks for the efforts under way to free them.
August 27, 2010 – Miners are told for the first time of the lengthy process rescuers expect it will take to extract them from the mine. Officials announce that they are working on a “Plan B”, which could help speed up the rescue process.
August 29, 2010 – Each of the trapped miners is given about 20 seconds to speak directly with family members for the first time since the accident.
August 31, 2010 – Plan A drilling starts.
September 3, 2010 – The Schramm T-130 drill, otherwise known as Plan B, arrives at the rescue scene. The drill is usually used for boring water holes.
September 6, 2010 – Rescue officials temporarily stop the Plan B initial drill due to a damaged drill bit.
September 9, 2010 – Miners record a new video to show their families a glimpse of what their routines are like. The three-minute clip shows them in good spirits.
September 14, 2010 – Elizabeth Segovia, wife of trapped miner Ariel Ticona, gives birth to a girl she names Esperanza, Spanish for hope.
September 17, 2010 – The Plan B bore hole reaches the 33 miners. However, the hole is only 12 inches wide and will need to be widened on a second pass.
September 22, 2010 – The Plan C drill starts drilling.
September 25, 2010 – The rescue capsule expected to haul the miners back to the surface arrives at the mine. Named the Phoenix, it’s painted red, white and blue – the colors of the Chilean flag.
September 28, 2010 – The Plan B drill passes the halfway point to the trapped miners.
September 30, 2010 – Rescue crews successfully test the capsule. One test subject declares it “comfortable.”
October 1, 2010 – Mining Minister Laurence Golborne announces that officials expect to reach the miners as early as mid October – sooner than previously expected. Crews could reach the miners between October 15 and October 30. Officials earlier predict the date might be as far away as November or Christmas.
October 5, 2010 – Rescuers say they are within 160 meters of the trapped miners.
October 6, 2010 – Two additional capsules and a winch, a device used for winding and tension adjustments, arrive at the mine site.
October 7, 2010 – A source close to rescue operations says the Plan B drill is now less than 100 meters from the target.
October 9, 2010 – The Plan B drill breaks through the roof of the mine.
October 12, 2010 – During a press conference, Mining Minister Golborne announces that the rescue is expected to begin during “the last quarter” of the day.
October 13, 2010 – The first miner rescued, Florencio Antonio Avalos Silva, 31, reaches the surface at about 12:11 a.m. ET. Shift foreman Luis Alberto Urzua Iribarren, 54, is the 33rd and final miner to be rescued, approximately 22 1/2 hours after the rescue operation begins.
July 25, 2011 – Representatives for the rescued miners announce that the official and authorized film rights to their story have been sold to producer Mike Medavoy.
August 30, 2011 – Fourteen of the miners are awarded lifetime monthly pensions of 250,000 Chilean pesos (approximately $540), by Cecilia Morel, Chile’s first lady. The government chose which miners would receive the lifetime pensions based on health, age and the opinion of the group of survivors.
August 1, 2013 – Chilean prosecutors announce they have closed the investigation into the mining disaster without filing any charges.
August 4, 2013 – San Esteban Mining Company agrees to sell the now-closed San Jose mine to pay the miners and reimburse the Chilean government for the cost of rescue efforts, in addition to paying the company’s other debts.
October 14, 2015 – The group of miners, who are in Rome promoting a new film about the mine disaster, “The 33,” pose for photos and present gifts to Pope Francis at the Vatican.
Miners:
Alex Vega Salazar, 31
Ariel Ticona Yanez, 29
Carlos Andres Bugueno Alfaro, 27
Carlos Mamani Solis, 23
Carlos Barrios Contreras, 27
Claudio Acuna Cortes, 34
Claudio David Yanez Lagos, 34
Daniel Esteban Herrera Campos, 27
Darios Antonio Segovia Rojas, 48
Edison Fernando Pena Villaroel, 34
Esteban Alfonso Rojas Carrizo, 44
Florencio Antonio Avalos Silva, 31
Franklin Lobos Ramirez, 53
Jorge Hernan Galleguillos Orellana, 56
Jose Henriquez Gonzalez, 54
Jose Ojeda Vidal, 46
Juan Carlos Aguilar Gaete, 49
Juan Illanes Palma, 52
Jimmy Sanchez Lagues, 18
Luis Alberto Urzua Iribarren, 54
Mario Nicolus Gomez Heredia, 63
Mario Sepulveda Espinace, 40
Omar Alejandro Reygada Rojas, 56
Osman Isidro Araya Araya, 30
Pablo Amadeos Rojas Villacorta, 45
Pedro Cortez Contreras, 25
Raul Enriquez Bustos Ibanez, 40
Renan Anselmo Avalos Silva, 29
Richard Reinald Villarroel Godoy, 27
Samuel Dionisio Avalos Acuna, 43
Victor Antonio Segovia Rojas, 48
Victor Zamora Bugueno, 33
Yonni Barrios Rojas, 50
Rescue Plans:
Mining Minister Laurence Golborne described for CNN the rescue efforts, the three holes – called Plan A, Plan B, and Plan C – being dug in an effort to open a passageway to safety for the men. Plan A and Plan B each required two holes to be drilled – a small hole first and then a wider one about 26 to 28 inches (65-70 centimeters) in diameter. Golborne said the second pass would progress more slowly than the first pass.
Plan A involved using a drill placed directly above the shelter where the miners were holed up. Under Plan B, a hole was drilled at a roughly 80-degree angle into an area of the mine shaft that was used as a mechanical workshop. That distance, engineers estimated, was around 2,034 feet (620 meters). The drill used in Plan C needed to cut through some 1,969 feet (600 meters) of rock and earth.
Plan A drill was a Raise Borer Strata 950, usually used for drilling ventilation shafts in mines.
Plan B drill was a Schramm T-130, usually used for boring water holes.
Plan C drill was a Rig 421 drill, usually used for drilling for oil.