Miners' survival during 2010 Copiapó mining accident 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. At 21:55 CLDT on 13 October, all 33 miners had been rescued, almost all in good medical condition, and expected to recover fully. Two miners had silicosis,
Pabst Mine disaster the first rescuer to reach them asked what they wanted most, and when they replied that they wanted tobacco, he supplied them with a cigar. When news reached Ironwood that the miners had been found, much of the population rushed to the mine, including families of the trapped miners. As many as 5,000 people were waiting at the top of the shaft when the miners came in small groups up the elevator in "H" shaft. The miners, who had been trapped in the mine for 129 hours, were transported to a local hospital before being released. The story of the