Survivor Chile: Trapped Miners Await Rescue Half Mile Below

On August 5, deep within a gold and copper mine outside Copiapo, Chile, 33 miners were trapped underground by a cave-in. Nearly three weeks passed before it was discovered that the miners were still alive, about a half mile below the surface. Mine officials made radio contact with them and learned they were in good condition and optimistic spirits despite their ordeal. Soon, a plastic tube snaking down a narrow drill hole brought hydration gel, glucose solution, and medication to the miners, who range in age from teenagers to sixty-somethings. In response, they sent a note back to the surface tied to the end of the drill bit. Elated relatives have sent letters to their loved ones down the shaft.

Now the Chilean men are holding out for a dramatic rescue. At first the miners found shelter in a tiny room, but then moved out into a tunnel. Drilling a borehole wide enough to get them out may take months; meanwhile, discipline will be key to their staying safe and sane. A team of doctors including psychiatrists are tending to the health of the miners.

Successful rescues involving the drilling of boreholes have been done before, but they involved far shorter distances than the depth required in this particular mine. In addition to a rescue borehole, two holes are being drilled for ventilation and communication. A rescue from this deep—some 2,300 feet vertically down—has never been done before. The drill bit might “wander” off track or hit a fault zone of soft material, which would interfere with its progress. But it’s the only chance they have.

Related Links

  • Chile Secures Lifeline to Trapped Miners, Sends Aid
    This article recounts the successful contact made with the miners trapped in a copper mine in Chile, and the background to their ordeal.
    (Source: Reuters, August 23, 2010)
  • Chilean Mine Rescuers Face Daunting Challenge
    This article details the challenges facing the rescue efforts at the mine in the Chilean Andes.
    (Source: NPR, August 23, 2010)
  • Trapped Chilean Miners Get Supplies
    The Web site of the Public Radio International global news program includes podcasts, transcripts, and a diagram showing the San Jose mine’s ventilation shaft, emergency escape route, tunnel blockage, supply borehole, and miners’ position.
    (Source: TheWorld.org, August 24, 2010)
  • Map of Chile
    This map of Chile shows the country’s mountainous north–south Andean spine. The mine where the accident occurred is in central Chile, near Copiapo and the Nevado Ojos del Salado volcano.
    (Source: The University of Texas)

Other Issues in the Region

Income Gap

Latin America has abundant resources, but a small percentage of the people have benefited most from those resources. According to the World Bank, the richest 10 percent of the population of Central and South America and the Caribbean earn 48 percent of the region’s income. The poorest 10 percent earn only 1.6 percent. Attitudes about race and ethnicity are one reason for the widespread inequality in Latin America. Indigenous peoples and Latin Americans of African descent have fewer educational and job opportunities than whites. High-quality public services, such as health care, water, electricity, and sewage, are unequally divided according to race and socioeconomic status. The World Bank found that unequal distribution of resources hinders development and can be traced to patterns set up during European colonization. Solving the problem will require wise leadership, participatory democracy, and changes in social and political institutions to bring about reform.

  • Prudent Chile Thrives Amid Downturn
    The economies of developing nations around the world, including in Latin America, have been hurt by the global recession of 2008–09. Thanks to careful management of windfall profits in its copper industry, Chile has been able to weather the storm.
    (Source: Wall Street Journal, May 27, 2009)

Giving Citizens a Voice

On September 11, 2001, the same day that terrorists attacked the United States, members of the Organization of American States (OAS), were meeting in Lima, Peru, to demonstrate their commitment to democracy. Among them were Canada, the United States, Mexico, and countries of Central America, South America, and the Caribbean. They signed the Inter-American Democratic Charter. The first article of the charter states, “The peoples of the Americas have a right to democracy, and their governments have an obligation to promote and defend it. Democracy is essential for the social, political, and economic development of the peoples of the Americas.”

The charter spells out basic elements of a representative democracy. It emphasizes the importance of human rights and urges the participation of all citizens. It calls for the elimination of all forms of discrimination and addresses the need to eliminate poverty and illiteracy. Economic development and education are stressed as important factors in strengthening the democratic process.

  • Secretary General Highlights OAS Efforts for Democracy and Reconstruction in Haiti
    José Miguel Insulza, the secretary general of the Organization of American States, recommitted the OAS to work to strengthen the institutions of democracy in Haiti, the Caribbean island country that was devastated by an earthquake in January 2010. Insulza addressed the “World Summit on the Future of Haiti: Solidarity beyond the Crisis.”
    (Source: Caribbean Net News, June 3, 2010)

Rain Forest Resources

Brazil’s rainforest covers a majority of the country’s land. The forest is said to contain 30 percent of Earth’s plant and animal species, and the oxygen produced by its plant life has given the region the nickname “the lungs of the world.” But Brazil’s growing population and expanding economy, particularly its agricultural economy, are putting new demands on the rainforests. Brazil’s government is struggling to find a balance between rainforest preservation and economic growth.

  • Amazon Deforestation in Dramatic Decline, Official Figures Show
    Increased use of satellite data to spot the felling of trees and new tactics to deter loggers, such as preventing their ability to hide under cloud cover, have led to a decline in large-scale deforestation, according to Ibama, Brazil’s environmental agency.
    (Source: The Guardian, July 23, 2010)

One Comment

  1. gregor the overlander says:

    That is scary