Miners trapped in Tocopilla rescued alive

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ANTOFAGASTA.- Two miners were rescued at 8:30AM this morning after being trapped since yesterday in an underground dike at the San Jose mine of Tocopilla, located at kilometer 1 of the route connecting Tocopilla and Calama, in the Region of Antofogasta.

Both miners, 37 year- old Luis Castillo Rubio and 41 year- old Pablo Astorga Carrasco, were transferred to the Tocopilla emergency hospital, where they are currently listed in good condition.

Mine employees, along with fire-fighters, police and personnel from the National Geology and Mining Service (SERNAGEOMIN) and government officials all assisted in the rescue operation.

The rescue was complicated given that the mine is located in an area that is difficult to access – on a hill that is 800 meters high, requiring the use of cables to rescue the men.

Additionally, the men were trapped in one of the older mines, where they also risked the danger of falling rocks.

The regional director of SERNAGEOMIN, Jorge Guerra, has stated that when the miners became trapped, they took shelter in an underground space where, thanks to numerous holes in the mine, they were never short on oxygen.

Guerra added that when the miners realized that rescue teams were nearby, they were able to give signals to indicate their location.