Rescue plans for 2010 Copiapó mining accident estimated more than 1 billion people watching the rescue on live television around the world. The San José Mine is about north of Copiapó, in northern Chile. The miners were trapped approximately from the mine entrance. The mine had a history of instability that had led to previous accidents, including one death. The retrieval of the first miner, Florencio Ávalos, began on Tuesday, 12 October at 23:55 CLDT, with the rescue capsule reaching the surface 16 minutes later. Less than 24 hours later, at 21:55 CLDT on 13 October, all 33 miners had been rescued, almost all in good medical
Vorkuta mine disaster the presence of methane gas within the mine, which workers feared would spark another explosion, and lack of communication with the trapped miners. In the morning of 28 February, a third explosion, also believed to be caused by methane gas, shook the mine, causing further collapses. Five rescue workers and another miner, attempting to reach the trapped miners, were killed. Based on the proximity of the explosion to where the trapped miners were located, the trajectory of the flames, and the high concentration of carbon monoxide in the mine's air, Russia's Emergency Situations Minister Vladimir Puchkov believed the trapped miners