By Mandy Feder
What would it be like to be trapped in a mine, in what is considered the longest known survival in an underground disaster?
On Aug. 5 the tunnel surrounding 33 miners came crashing down in a small gold and copper mine in northern Chile. Families, friends, concerned citizens and even the Minister of Mines, Laurence Golborne, felt the wave of devastation and despair in Copiapo in the San Jose Mine.
When the news arrived that all 33 were alive, President Sebastian Pinera waved a note to the anxious crowd 17 days after the collapse. The note read, “All 33 of us are fine in the shelter.” Tears of joy, relief and excitement swept the country; a country that sustained a magnitude-8.8 earthquake on Feb. 27.
Relief was soon marred by the reality that it may take until Christmas to get the miners out.
The Chilean government called in the pros from NASA.
Why NASA? The space agency trains astronauts for the isolation of months-long International Space Station missions. NASA is assisting the miners in coping with the physical and psychological conditions associated with the delicate and dangerous situation.
Rescuers are communicating with miners through a 6-inch-wide tunnel. The actual rescue mission will involve drilling a 2-foot-wide tunnel through 2,200 feet of solid rock.
The NASA dream team is comprised of two doctors, one psychologist and one engineer.
The efforts and concern displayed by the Chilean government are receiving high praise worldwide.
On Thursday I attended a Rotary meeting as a guest. A prayer was said for the trapped miners. The prayer mirrored the sentiment NASA”s Deputy Chief Medical Officer Michael Duncan, made to members of the press, “We recognize that the whole world has been praying for these miners. Their situation has captured the minds and hearts of all those in the world. The miners have shown us a great deal of courage and the ability to survive. It is our privilege to be here working with the ministers and the physicians and technical people at the mine site to make this a successful outcome,” he said.
As a country, the residents of Chile are collectively showing the world who they are in the face of adversity.
In the wake of the news that the miners were alive, people celebrated with a barbecue, roving musicians, lit candles and Chilean flags to color the landscape with hope. At the Plaza Italia, where Chileans traditionally celebrate national victories, crowds gathered, cheering and waving flags.
“The miners” survival after 17 days is very unusual, but now that they”ve made it this far, they should emerge OK,” a leading U.S. mine safety expert told The Associated Press (AP).
Footage of the miners proves hopeful, as they thank God for survival and say they just need patience and faith.
It”s difficult to wrap my mind around the scene there. The miners are receiving food, water and oxygen through a hole. Sound and video equipment are set up so the miners can communicate with the world.
Where there”s kudos, there”s also criticism. San Esteban, the company that owns the mine, and the National Mining and Geology Service are accused of allegedly failing to comply with regulations.
Though some experts say the rescue could take as many as four months, others are more optimistic.
The AP reported that a video of the miners found the men “mostly upbeat, joking on camera and talking about their absolute certainty that they would get out alive.”
The AP article points out that the men “will play a key role in winning their own rescue: The drilling technique that must be used means that up to 4,000 tons of rock and debris will fall down into a large mine shaft near the shelter, but far enough away from the men that they will not be in any danger ? their own work clearing the rocks will be vital to keeping their eventual escape route from becoming plugged.”
“We shall draw from the heart of suffering itself the means of inspiration and survival.” ? Winston Churchill
Mandy Feder is the Record-Bee managing editor. She can be reached at mandyfeder@yahoo.com or 263-5636 Ext. 32.
