Chilean Miners Rescued

by Dick Mac

The miners trapped in the San Jose Mine, in Chile, since August 10th have been rescued.

The government of Chile, the mining company, consultants, and other miners worked together tirelessly to bring the rescue mission to a successful close.

The miners have agreed that all monies received for their stories will be split equally among the group. That would be nice.

President Sebastian Pinera seemed unequivocal after Wednesday's rescue about the fate of the San Jose mine.

"This mine will definitely never open again," he said after a dizzying day in which the miners were pulled up through a narrow escape chute from nearly a half-mile down in under 23 hours — far less than originally forecast.

Pinera also said the conditions that allowed the accident "will not go unpunished. Those who are responsible will have to assume their responsibility."

Pinera said the rescue would end up costing "somewhere between $10 (million) and $20 million," a third covered by private donations with the rest coming from state-owned miner Codelco — the country's largest company_ and the government itself.
See, As Chile celebrates, mine's future in question

Here are some of my favorite graphics from the incidents (all imags used without permission):