Compañía Minera San Esteban Primera Piñera said on October 12 that "the mine will remain closed until security measures that guard the life and dignity of the workers are established." Compañía Minera San Esteban Primera Compañía Minera San Esteban Primera (San Esteban Primera Mining Company) is a Chilean mining company, dedicated to the production of copper and gold concentrates. San Esteban's headquarters are located in Providencia, Santiago Metropolitan Region. San Esteban also owns the San José Mine in Copiapó, Chile, where 33 miners were trapped underground for 69 days after a mining accident on August 5, 2010. Chile has a long tradition in mining, which
Pabst Mine disaster from the wooden planks lining the mine walls and heated with the miners' carbide lamps. Soon after the collapse, a miner named Alfred Maki descended the shaft and heard signals from the men trapped inside. Over the next five days, rescuers began digging from the neighboring "H" shaft to try to reach the trapped miners. They descended first to nearly the bottom of "H" shaft, where a tunnel connected the two shafts, and then began working their way up the ladderway of "G" shaft. On the fifth day, they were able to reach the trapped miners. According to news reports,