The Copiapó mining accident in 2010, also known as the "Chilean mining accident", began on Thursday, August 5, 2010 with a collapse at the San José copper and gold mine, located in the Atacama desert 45 kilometers (28 miles) north of the regional capital of Copiapó, in northern Chile. Thirty-three men, trapped 700 meters (2,300 feet) underground and 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the mine entrance via spiral underground ramps, were rescued after 69 days.
After state mining company Codelco took over the mine owners' rescue efforts, exploratory wells were drilled, and seventeen days after the accident, a note was found taped to a drill bit pulled from the surface: " We are well in the refuge, the 33 "(" We are well in the refuge, the 33 of us ").
Three separate rig teams, nearly all of the Chilean government ministries, the United States' NASA space agency, and a dozen corporations around the world cooperated to complete the rescue. On October 13, 2010, the men were dragged to the surface one at a time, in a specially constructed capsule, as estimated by one billion people worldwide. With few exceptions, they were all in good medical condition with no anticipated long-term physical effects. Private donations covered a third of the $ 20 million cost of the bailout, with the rest coming from the mine owners and the government.
Previous geological instability at the former mine and a long history of safety violations for the owners of the mine, San Esteban Mining Company, had resulted in a series of fines and accidents, including eight deaths, during the twelve years prior to this accident . After three years of work, the lawsuits and investigations into the collapse concluded in August 2013 with no charges filed.
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