Trapped deep beneath the Atacama Desert, 33 miners survived for more than two months before a complex rescue operation brought every man safely to the surface.
THE UNIVERSAL RECORD
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Brad Socha | October 13, 2026 | 5:01 AM EST
Featured image: Chilean President Sebastián Piñera welcomes Luis Urzúa, the final miner rescued from the San José mine on October 13, 2010. Photo: Hugo Infante / Government of Chile, CC BY 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons. Cropped from original.
On October 13, 2010, the final trapped miners emerged from Chile’s San José mine, ending a 69-day ordeal that had captured international attention. All 33 men survived a collapse that had left them hundreds of metres underground, beyond the reach of conventional rescue equipment.
Their return marked the completion of an operation that combined Chilean mining expertise, specialized drilling, medical planning and international technical assistance. The rescue also brought renewed attention to the dangers of underground mining and the conditions that had allowed the disaster to occur.
The men had been trapped since August 5, when a major rock collapse blocked access to the copper and gold mine near Copiapó, in northern Chile’s Atacama Region.
For more than two weeks, rescuers did not know whether anyone had survived.
Seventeen Days Without Contact
The miners were working deep underground when the collapse cut off their route to the surface. They reached a refuge area, but the supplies available there were insufficient for a prolonged emergency.
With no immediate means of communicating with rescuers, the men had to conserve what little food remained. They rationed their provisions while waiting for a drilling team to locate them.
Above ground, relatives gathered near the mine as rescue crews began drilling narrow exploratory holes through hundreds of metres of rock. The effort was difficult because rescuers had to reach a relatively small underground area without knowing precisely where the men had taken shelter.
On August 22, the search produced the first decisive evidence that the miners were alive.
A drill returned to the surface carrying a handwritten message confirming that all 33 men were together in the refuge. The note, written in Spanish, became one of the most recognizable documents of the rescue.
The discovery transformed the operation. What had been a search for possible survivors became an engineering challenge: how to keep 33 people alive underground while constructing a route large enough to bring them out.
Narrow boreholes provided a lifeline. Food, water, medication, communications equipment and other essential supplies could be lowered to the men.
Medical teams developed plans to manage nutrition, physical health and psychological stress. The miners also established routines and responsibilities to maintain order during their prolonged confinement.
Their underground environment presented continuing difficulties. The refuge was hot and humid, and the men faced uncertainty about how long their rescue might take.
Chile coordinated the operation, drawing on its mining industry and assistance from specialists abroad.
At the Chilean government’s request, NASA sent a team of physicians, a psychologist and an engineer. Their contribution focused on medical care, nutrition, psychological support and technical advice for the rescue capsule, drawing on experience with people living in confined and isolated environments.
Meanwhile, engineers worked on several drilling approaches to create an escape shaft.
The Final Chile Rescue
By October, the rescue teams had prepared a narrow passage through which the miners could be lifted individually.
The central piece of equipment was the Fénix 2 capsule, a specially constructed steel container designed to carry one person at a time through the rescue shaft.
The capsule incorporated features intended to protect its occupant during the ascent, including guidance rollers, communications equipment and an emergency oxygen supply. Its narrow dimensions were essential because the passage left little room for movement.
Rescue personnel first descended to assist the miners and prepare them for the journey upward.
Shortly after midnight on October 13, Florencio Ávalos became the first miner to reach the surface.
He emerged wearing protective equipment and was welcomed by relatives and officials, including Chilean President Sebastián Piñera. The operation was broadcast internationally, allowing audiences to follow the miners’ return.
The capsule then continued travelling between the surface and the underground refuge, carrying the remaining men upward one by one.
Each ascent required careful coordination. Rescue personnel monitored the equipment, maintained communication and prepared for the next extraction while medical teams assessed those already brought out.
Among the miners was Mario Sepúlveda, whose animated arrival became one of the widely broadcast moments of the operation. Another was José Ojeda, who had written the message confirming the group’s survival in August.
As the hours passed, the number of men still underground steadily declined.
The final miner, shift supervisor Luis Urzúa, reached the surface on the evening of October 13. He had helped organize the group during the initial emergency and remained below until the others had been evacuated.
All 33 miners had been rescued alive. The extraction itself took nearly 23 hours, followed by the withdrawal of the rescue personnel who had descended into the mine.
The successful operation demonstrated what coordinated engineering and emergency planning could accomplish under exceptionally difficult conditions. It also showed the importance of sustaining people physically and psychologically during a rescue that could not be completed quickly.
Yet the outcome did not erase the circumstances of the collapse. The San José disaster raised serious questions about mine safety, inspections and the responsibilities of operators and regulators in an industry central to Chile’s economy.
The rescue became an enduring part of Chilean history, remembered through documentaries, exhibitions and films, including The 33, released in 2015.
Sixteen years later, the events of October 13 remain a reminder of both the risks faced by underground workers and the extraordinary effort required to bring the trapped men home. Their survival depended not on a single invention or decision, but on the combined endurance of the miners and the work of hundreds of people above ground.
Sources:
Codelco — 2010 Sustainability Report: Rescue of the 33 Miners (Spanish)
https://www.codelco.com/flipbook/reporte_sustentabilidad/2010/reporte_codelco_2010/files/assets/seo/page33.html
Chilean Navy — Naval Rescuers Participate in Historic Rescue of 33 Miners (Spanish)
https://www.armada.cl/noticias-navales/rescatistas-navales-participan-en-historico-salvamento-de-33-mineros
Chilean Navy — Naval Personnel’s Role in the Rescue of the 33 Miners (Spanish)
https://www.armada.cl/noticias-navales/sobresaliente-participacion-de-personal-naval-en-el-rescate-de-los-33
NASA — Chilean Miners Rescue Oral Histories
https://www.nasa.gov/history/history-publications-and-resources/oral-histories/chilean-miners-rescue/
NASA — Responding to Emergencies: Chilean Mine Rescue
https://www.nasa.gov/centers-and-facilities/langley/nasalangley100-responding-to-emergencies/
Smithsonian Institution — Exhibition Commemorates Historic Mine Rescue in Chile
https://www.si.edu/newsdesk/releases/smithsonian-exhibition-commemorates-historic-mine-rescue-chile
Smithsonian Magazine — The Capsule That Saved the Chilean Miners
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/the-capsule-that-saved-the-chilean-miners-5620851/
Emol — Live Coverage: All 33 Miners Rescued Safely, October 13, 2010 (Spanish)
https://www.emol.com/noticias/nacional/2010/10/13/441043/minuto-a-minuto-todos-a-salvo-rescate-de-mineros-culmina-con-exito-en-menos-de-24-horas-finalizado.html
About the Author
Brad Socha is the founder of The Universal Record, focused on sourced, factual global reporting. Coverage includes international news, geopolitics, technology, and major developments.