35 miners have died in accidents in Chile this year

As of today, Oct. 15, 35 miners have died in accidents in Chile this year, reports the Chilean daily La Tercera (link in Spanish), two more than those rescued in the successful operation this week at the San Jose mine.

The paper cites data from Chile's geology and mining service, noting that the 35 deaths occurred in 32 accidents. In the latest, a miner died Thursday in a fall near Valparaiso.

The figure is a bleak counterpoint to the euphoria felt in Chile and worldwide over the 33 miners' spectacular rescue. La Plaza reported Thursday that dozens more have died in mining accidents across Latin America since 2006.

Meanwhile, La Tercera reported, the second miner rescued from the San Jose mine is undergoing a psychological evaluation. Mario Sepulveda had electrified global viewers with a jubilant "Chile!" cheer after emerging from the rescue capsule. Several miners have already been released from the hospital where they were being evaluated, The Times reports, and more are expected to be sent home today.

-- Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City

A 'miracle' in Chile, but mining accidents are often tragedies across Latin America

 

If the remarkable rescue of 33 miners trapped in Chile for 69 days was a "miracle," as some have dubbed it, other mining accidents in recent years have had less happy endings, claiming dozens of lives in Colombia, Mexico, Peru, and Venezuela.

Though mining accidents are relatively rare in Chile, a 2007 collapse in the same San Jose mine where "Los 33" were trapped left a miner dead and forced the mine's temporary closure. At another mine in the Copiaco region, a truck collision in 2006 left two miners dead and 70 others trapped for several hours (link in Spanish).

As metal prices rise and companies continue to seek Latin America's rich deposits of minerals and coal, the industry grows faster than some countries can regulate it, says a Forbes report. There are regular conflicts with workers over pay and safety conditions, as well as numerous reports of illegal mining operations -- with hardly any safety oversight or regulations -- in so-called wildcat mines.

Here are some major recent mining accidents in Latin America:

* This month, five miners died in a collapse at a coal mine in northeast Colombia (link in Spanish).

* In August, while the 33 Chile miners were trapped underground, an explosion at a wildcat gold mine in a remote jungle in Venezuela killed six miners. Miners in the area said that the actual toll was 14 or 15.

* In June, an explosion at a coal mine in northwestern Colombia left 70 miners dead, one of the largest death tolls recorded in recent mining accidents worldwide.

* In February, eight miners died after an explosion at a coal mine in northern Peru.

* In 2006, 65 miners died after an explosion at a coal mine in northern Mexico (link in Spanish).

President Sebastian Pinera has vowed to overhaul safety regulations at mines in Chile, the world's top copper producer. Pinera announced the formation of a new commission to examine workplace safety in mines and fired the previous mining minister early in the rescue effort. But safety and regulatory issues remain a major challenge for the industry across the region.

-- Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City

Photo: Esteban Rojas kneels and hugs his wife after being the 18th miner rescued from the San Jose mine in Chile. Credit: Reuters

Chile miners: Officials say some rescued men may leave the hospital Thursday

The 33 men rescued from the collapsed San Jose mine in Chile were in good health overall, with some of them set to be released from the hospital by the end of the day, officials said Thursday.

Chilean President Sebastian Piñera, who met with the hospitalized men, stressed that measures would be taken to avoid future mine disasters.

The miners were rescued one by one Wednesday after spending more than two months half a mile below ground. The mine collapsed Aug. 5.

Read more about the Chile miners.

-- Chris Kraul

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Chile miners: Two trapped miners reach surface in Chile rescue [UPDATED]

[UPDATED 9:24 p.m.: The first two of 33 miners trapped for 69 days in a collapsed mine half a mile underground have reached the surface.

Florencio Avalos, 31, a foreman, was winched to freedom first inside a slim capsule pulled through the 28-inch-wide shaft that had been drilled to reach the men’s underground refuge. He emerged to ecstatic cheers from rescue workers and the families of the miners, but was shielded from the view of the reporters who had arrived from around the world to cover the dramatic event.

Next came Mario Sepulveda Espina, who hugged his wife and President Sebastian Pinera, and handed out some rocks he brought up with him.]

The other miners are expected to be rescued at a rate of about one an hour, barring accidents or obstacles. The plan is to have the last of the miners on the surface within two days. Luis Urzua, 54, who emerged as the leader of the miners during the ordeal, is to be the last out.  

Miners’ relatives, government officials and media representatives all eagerly awaited the first sign of a successful rescue on what was the 69th day of captivity for the men. President Sebastian Pinera arrived at the mine Tuesday to see the rescue efforts and greet the miners.

“We made a promise to never surrender and we kept it,” Pinera said.

As relatives waited for details about when their loved ones were to be hoisted up aboard the Phoenix rescue capsule, they said they were allowing themselves to feel an enormous sense of relief.

Juan Alcalipe, whose son-in-law Osma Araya, 30, was among the trapped miners, said he was excited to be so close to the end of a nightmare. Araya, he said, won’t be returning to work at the mine.

“My daughter won't let him,” Alcalipe said.

Near the rescue site were containers that were to serve as a makeshift clinic, where for two hours the miners are to receive first aid if needed and be given the chance to shower and change clothes.

Farther up a steep incline, past enormous cranes and other equipment used in the rescue effort, were a half-dozen container-like structures where miners were to be reunited with their families.

Earlier, Golborne said he was not ready to declare “mission accomplished” despite his confidence in the rescue preparations. He said officials hoped that at least one of the miners would be out of the mine before the end of the day Tuesday.

-- Chris Kraul in Copiapo, Chile

Photo: Mariana Bazo / Reuters

Chile miners: Rescue underway; rescuer begins descent

The first rescuer has begun the half-mile journey to reach 33 miners who have been trapped since an underground collapse on Aug. 5. A paramedic is being lowered by winch in a bullet-shaped capsule fitted with communications gear.

The miners have been underground for 69 days and many are said to be suffering from breathing problems. They have lived and worked to assist their rescue in a hot, humid pocket that remained intact after other exits from the mine became blocked. The paramedic was reportedly carrying a list setting out the order in which the men would be brought to the surface, where their families, a transfixed nation and worldwide audience await.

It is expected to take at least two days to bring all the miners out, assuming the capsule is able to negotiate the man-made shaft, which is only partially lined with metal.

Miners’ relatives, government officials and media representatives all eagerly awaited the first sign of a successful rescue. President Sebastian Pinera arrived at the mine Tuesday to see the rescue efforts and greet the miners.

“We made a promise to never surrender and we kept it,” Pinera said.

As relatives waited for details about when their loved ones were to be hoisted up aboard the capsule, they said they were allowing themselves to feel an enormous sense of relief.

Juan Alcalipe, whose son-in-law Osma Araya, 30, was among the trapped miners, said he was excited to be so close to the end of a nightmare. Araya, he said, won’t be returning to work at the mine.

“My daughter won't let him,” Alcalipe said.

The first miner to be rescued will be Florencio Avalos and the last will be foreman Juan Urzua, government officials said. If all goes smoothly, all the miners should be freed during the next two days, officials said.

Near the rescue site were containers that were to serve as a makeshift clinic, where for two hours the miners are to receive first aid if needed and be given the chance to shower and change clothes.

Farther up a steep incline, past enormous cranes and other equipment used in the rescue effort, were a half-dozen container-like structures where miners were to be reunited with their families.

Earlier, Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said he was not ready to declare “mission accomplished” despite his confidence in the rescue preparations. He said officials hoped that at least one of the miners would be out of the mine before the end of the day Tuesday.

-- Chris Kraul in Copiapo, Chile

Photo: Site of mine rescue. Credit: Lorenzo Moscia/Abaca Press/MCT

Chile miners: Camp Hope saw an 'explosion of solidarity'

The makeshift village known as Camp Hope that sprung up around the Chile miners rescue operation is choked with media trailers, satellite trucks and family members' tents.

Sen. Baldo Prokurica said the camp has seen an "explosion of solidarity" among local businesses and municipalities helping with daily operations.

Food has been provided for hundreds of people — relatives of the 33 trapped miners, government officials and media types -- in the form of three meals a day since late August. Cellphone carriers built additional towers to facilitate communication after the Aug. 5 collapse of the gold and copper mine. Even Rolly the Clown has donated his services.

"Nobody pays for anything here," Prokurica said.

 -- Chris Kraul in Copiapo, Chile

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Chile miners: First retrieval could come before end of the day

Chilean officials said Tuesday the first of 33 miners trapped 2,300 feet underground for two months may be lifted to freedom within hours via a metal rescue capsule.

If all goes smoothly, all the miners should be freed during the next two days, officials said.

“We are really working as fast as possible to get these miners out,” Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said during a televised news conference.

Golborne said he was not ready to declare “mission accomplished” despite his confidence in the rescue preparations. He said officials hope at least one of the miners will be out of the mine before the end of the day Tuesday.

Near the site, relatives held vigil at an area that’s become known as Camp Hope.

“Here the tension is higher than down below,” said Veronica Ticona, the sister of one of the miners, the Associated Press reported. “Down there they are calm.”

Officials said that after the miners leave the rescue capsule they will receive triage at a makeshift clinic near the mine before being evacuated to the Copiapo hospital for two days of observation. The 40-mile road leading from Copiapo to the mine would close at 8 p.m. local time to facilitate land evacuation of the miners if the skies are too cloudy for helicopters.

In a test run Monday, engineers succeeded in lowering the  rescue capsule almost all the way down the hole.

Golborne told reporters Monday that the team preparing to retrieve the miners trapped since Aug. 5 had finished the job of partially lining the uppermost part of the shaft with metal tubing to guard against cave-ins. Officials had been concerned that the 28-inch-diameter hole could be unstable and thereby jeopardize the progress of the rescue capsule.

"It was a very promising test," Golborne said. "The video camera that was inside the capsule to survey the hole found no irregularities of the walls."

He said the timing of the miners' retrieval depended on how quickly a platform could be completed to support a winch that will lower and raise the capsule.

President Sebastian Pinera was expected to arrive at the mine Tuesday to see the rescue and greet the miners.

Health Minister Jaime Manalich said Monday the miners were excited about their impending rescue but seemed to be in control of their emotions. "They are much calmer than those of us up here above," Manalich said.

The government said four members of the rescue team — two engineers and two medics — will be lowered down the shaft first to assist in the operation and to evaluate the physical and mental state of the miners. The men — 32 Chileans and one Bolivian — have endured 90-degree heat, high humidity, claustrophobic conditions and darkness since an underground collapse of tons of earth sealed off the mine exits more than two months ago.

The determination of the order in which the miners will be rescued had not been made and may be deferred until the operation is underway and rescuers have a chance to examine the miners underground. The government has said that some of the most fit and mentally alert miners will come up first to give the government an idea of the condition of the rest of the miners and to observe the rescue.

The government has three rescue capsules ready. Golborne said the casing stopped at a little more than half the length initially planned because it had achieved its purpose of reinforcing the weakest rock and because adding more would jeopardize the integrity of the tubing.

The test run of the capsule stopped about 50 feet short of the floor of a tunnel adjacent to the refuge where the miners are huddled.

Manalich said the last men to be hoisted to safety would be the four rescue team members.

"The rescuers, these heroic compatriots, will stay to the end," Manalich said.

-- Chris Kraul in Copiapo, Chile

Photo: A boy and his father await news in the main square of Copiapo, north of Santiago. Credit: Claudio Santana /AFP/Getty Images

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Chile miners: Rescue workers expect to begin lifting trapped miners Tuesday

 

 Officials said that Tuesday, the 69th day underground for 33 miners trapped 2,300 feet down in a northern Chile mine, will see at least the first rescue via metal capsule, with the rest to be lifted to freedom over the next two days.

Officials said all is ready for the operation to begin sometime during the last six hours of the day and that President Sebastian Pinera would arrive in the afternoon to witness the rescue operation. The miners will get two hours of triage at a makeshift clinic near the mine before evacuation to the Copiapo hospital for two days of observation.

Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said the 40-mile road leading from Copiapo to the mine would close at 8 p.m. local time to facilitate land evacuation of the miners if the skies are too cloudy for helicopters.

Golborne declined to identify which miner would be lifted out first. He said the last person to come up from the mine would be one of the three or four rescue team members who will enter the site to help guide the miners to safety.

-- Chris Kraul in Copiapo, Chile

Photo: A large screen is set up in the main square of Copiapo that will show live the rescue of the miners trapped at the San Jose mine. Credit: Claudio Santana /AFP/Getty Images.

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Chile miners: Rescue capsule lowered nearly all the way down in test run at Chilean mine

In a test run Monday, engineers succeeded in lowering a rescue capsule almost all the way down the 2,000-foot hole through which crews plan to lift 33 trapped miners, perhaps starting late Tuesday or early Wednesday, government officials said.

Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne told reporters that the team preparing to retrieve the miners trapped since Aug. 5 had finished the job of partially lining the uppermost part of the shaft with metal tubing to guard against cave-ins. Officials had been concerned that the 28-inch diameter hole could be unstable and thereby jeopardize the progress of the rescue capsule.

 "It was a very promising test," Golborne said. "The video camera that was inside the capsule to survey the hole found no irregularities of the walls."

He said getting the men out of the mine will take two days and could begin as early as Tuesday night. The timing depends on how quickly a platform can be completed to support a winch that will lower and raise the capsule.

President  Sebastian Pinera  is expected to arrive at the mine Tuesday to see the rescue and greet the miners.

Health Minister Jaime Manalich said the miners were excited about their impending rescue but seemed to be in control of their emotions. "They are much calmer than those of us up here above," Manalich said.

Continue reading "Rescue capsule lowered nearly all the way down in test run at Chilean mine," by Chris Kraul reporting from Copiapo, Chile.

Photo: Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, center, speaks during a press conference at the San Jose mine near the city of Copiapo. Credit: Rodrigo Arangua / AFP, Getty Images.

Related:

Photos: Chile miner rescue

Live video: Chilean miners rescue operation

Graphic: Narrow escape way for miners

Map: Copiapo, Chile

Opinion: Inspiration below ground and above

Health experts monitoring trapped miners in Chile brace for unexpected ailments

At Chile mine, help comes in many forms

 

 

Trapped miners in Chile now arguing over who gets rescued last

Deprived of sunlight and fresh air since a shaft in their mine collapsed Aug 5., Chile's trapped miners are now so confident that their rescue from 2,300 feet underground is just days away that they are arguing over who will be lifted out last.

None of the miners wants to be first to hoisted up to the surface. "They were fighting with us yesterday because everyone wanted to be at the end of the line, not the beginning," Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich told reporters Sunday.

The two-month ordeal of "Los 33," as the trapped miners are known, has riveted Chileans and the world at large with its stark drama of human survival. The miners, a remarkably healthy and sometimes testy bunch, have at times argued with the surface crews over their requests for wine and cigarettes.

The Times' special correspondent in South America, Chris Kraul, has a recent update on the rescue effort, a delicate and unprecedented process that will see the 33 men lifted one-by-one in a narrow capsule through an escape hole.

Miners who emerge at night will be wearing sweaters because of the dramatic change in temperature they will experience, from 90 degrees in the mine to near freezing above on the Atacama desert. Those pulled to safety in the daytime will be wearing sunglasses.

The lift operations could begin as early as Wednesday. The L.A. Times photography blog Framework has a stirring gallery of images.

-- Daniel Hernandez in Mexico City

Photo: Trapped miners in Chile speak with rescuers via a video-conference feed. Credit: Government of Chile, via Framework