SOMETIMES in the world, we remember moments and never forget them. Wednesday’s dramatic rescue of the 33 men who have been trapped for 69 days in a collapsed Chilean mineshaft will go down as one of those moments, where joy, relief and celebration dominated the headlines, rather than the traditional political conflict, wars and deaths that fill up our newspapers and TV news stations.
Mario Gomez, one of the 33 to have been trapped, said on his return to earth: “I have come back to life.” To survive such extreme conditions underground goes down to a lot of teamwork, bravery, skill and courageous ability. None of the men gave up on the pure delight of being able to see their beloved families again. Together with the fantastic rescue teams, who produced a yellow capsule which with every hour, went down the 620ft hole that had been drilled to return another man to human earth. This is a result that no-one could have predicted nearly three months ago.
The disaster began on August 5th, when the 33 miners became trapped underground when part of the San Jose mine they were working on collapsed. Two days later, a second collapse prevents early rescue attempts to free the trapped miners and it seemed like they were doomed. However, failure was simply not an option to all of those involved and immediately, rescuers recovered from this potentially devastating setback and began drilling in a desperate attempt to find the men. From this early stage, authorities were warning everyone that the chances of finding anyone alive were very slim. Hope grew on August 22nd, when a rescue probe returned with a message, shown by president Pinera to Chilean television, which proved that all 33 miners are remarkably still alive. Suddenly, the rescue team involved manage to make voice contact with the men and begin sending down the vital supplies they need to keep them alive. Initial reports suggested it might not be until Christmas when they might end up being rescued, so this result is even better than what first could have been predicted.
With support from millions across the world, the miners have been seen in good spirits from video footage, even managing to see an international friendly in September of their beloved country losing in Kiev to the Ukraine. Once the first miner, Florencio Gonzalez was winched to the surface amid jubilant scenes, this was going to be a day full of emotion and elation.
Chile has been in the headlines a lot in 2010, for a varying degree of fortunes. The devastating earthquake that hit the country in March was followed by the national football team’s charismatic flair and attacking prowess that won over many fans in the World Cup finals in South Africa. For a country that has suffered its fair bit down the years, and not had the best of international relations, the response to the plight of the miners has redeemed the country in the eyes of everyone across the globe. It is so nice to see something so heart-warming dominate the headlines.
Some of the miners are receiving treatment in hospital, though it is thought to be mainly precautionary measures. It is staggering to think that all 33 miners escaped any serious injury, or as a matter of fact, death. This is a miracle of all proportions.
THE 33 CHILEAN MIRACLE MINERS OF 2010: Florencio Avalos (31), Jorge Galleguillos (55), Dario Segovia (48), Carlos Bugueno (28), Victor Segovia (48), Franklin Lobos (53), Esteban Rojas (44), Renan Avalos (29), Osman Araya (30), Pablo Rojas (45), Claudio Yanez (34), Richard Villarroel (23), Ariel Ticona (29), Carlos Mameni (24), Juan Illanes (52), Juan Aguilar (49), Edison Pena (34), Mario Sepulveda (40), Daniel Herrera (27), Alex Vega (31), Carlos Barrios (27), Jose Henriquez (54), Claudio Acuna (35), Jimmy Sanchez (19), Omar Reygadas (56), Raul Bustos (40), Jose Ojeda (47), Samuel Avalos (43), Pedro Cortez (26), Victor Zamora (34), Luis Urzua (54), Mario Gomez (63), Manuel Gonzalez Pavez (UNKNOWN)
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