Rescue Operation in Progress
The dramatic rescue operation at Camp Hope, Chile, came to a happy end. The 33 miners stuck in the San José mine finally ascended from their underground refuge on October 13, watched by rescuers, officials, media and most importantly their loved ones.
Camp Hope was relieved and electrified with emotions as the first miner Florencio Avalos (31) appeared in the rescue shaft Phoenix, painted in red, white and blue (colours of the Chilean flag). Avalos’ wife and his inconsolable seven-year-old son hugged him as soon he walked out of the shaft. He was then greeted by the Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who was present at the site throughout the operation.
The 33 miners who were trapped in the mine since August 5 were finally rescued by a team of experts and supervisors from NASA. Phoenix, a capsule shaped rescue shaft, to carry one man at time and equipped with an oxygen tank, video links, lightning and hands-free phone was designed to release these miners from the underground mine. The operation was completed successfully after 44 hours of intense drama and without any glitches. The near tragic episode that lasted for almost 70 days ended on a happy note with Luis Urzúa, the last miner, reaching the surface.
For details on rescue operation: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11485392
Luis Urzua with Chile President Pinera
After spending a few minutes with their family the rescued miners were immediately taken to the hospital for check-ups. Several miners were found to have dental infections and eye problems due to dust and darkness. One of the miners was diagnosed with pneumonia, though it was not very serious. Nonetheless, the doctors were astounded at the sound condition of the miners despite their ordeal.
Uruzua said, “The 70 days that we fought so hard were not in vain. We had strength, we had spirit. We wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families and that was the greatest thing.” The President told Urzua:
“You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an inspiration.”
Each miner had a story to tell. Each one had his own experiences. Each one emerged a hero. This is one episode that has certainly changed their lives forever.
Rescued miners with President Pinera
What next?
The miners are currently being bombarded by media from all over the world. Many film makers are in queue to buy the rights, to make a movie on the incident. Speaking to Al Jazeera, Stuart Higgins editor of a former UK tabloid, said:
“The media opportunities in terms of films, books, TV specials, will be absolutely unlimited.”
President Pinera has welcomed all the 33 miners in the parliament on October 25. He also reassured that mining at San José will be barred.
The flawless rescue operation that involved billions of dollars is undoubtedly a very good example of crisis management and the credit for this goes to the Chilean government and its people. However, all the celebrations and jubilations should not shift the focus from the main issue of negligence in adopting safety measures and issuing licenses to such mines. Chile which is a hub of mining projects now needs to earnestly concentrate on its mining policies and take into consideration the safety of miners.
Apart from celebrating this historic episode of bravery, governments of countries across the world need to draw lessons from it. Only then will the tribulations of these miners be of consequence.
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