Compañía Minera San Esteban Primera workers at this mine were paid around 20% higher wages than at other Chilean mines, due to its poor safety record. The San José Mine is located 45 kilometers northwest of Copiapó. It began operations in 1889. In 1957, Jorge Kemeny Letay, a Hungarian immigrant founded the San Esteban Mining Company (). The San José Mine () is a small copper-gold mine located near Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile. The mine was the site of a 2010 collapse which trapped 33 miners underground. Its workings are reached by a long sloping roadway with many spiral turns (a diagram shows ten turns),
Beaconsfield Mine collapse Interest in gaining media deals with both survivors culminated with Oprah Winfrey's production company Harpo expressing interest. Interest from the United States was particularly strong given two January 2006 mining disasters in West Virginia (the Sago Mine disaster and Aracoma Alma Mine accident) which resulted in the deaths of 15 miners. "Ten News" reported that the survivors were offered $3 million each, and Channel Nine boss Eddie McGuire attended the pub where the residents of Beaconsfield were celebrating the rescue. During "The Footy Show", they crossed live to a special event held in Beaconsfield where both miners appeared and were