Chile Industry
Mine Collapse in Chile
In Chile, mining for copper is a major industry. Between the years 2005 and 2011, the mining industry brought in 11.5 billion dollars a year. But this mining took a toll on August 5 th, 2010. The roof of the San Jose copper and gold mine collapsed 2,300 feet, trapping around 33 miners inside. Fortunately, there was a safe bunker and the 33 men made it in there. It had a food and water supply that would only last them so long. After the tragedy, it took the rescue team seven-teen day to drill a hole to the bunker. They rescue team assessed the situation and determined that the fastest they could get to them out was in two to three months. They made a hole large enough to send a tightly packed capsule to bring the trapped men up. The ride up from the bunker took fifteen minutes and it was said to only be a little bit wider than a mans shoulder. After 69 days, the miners were finally ready to get out. All of the miners’ heath was very good except one man got pneumonia and was treated with antibiotics