Mina San José | |
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San José de Copiapó mine during the 2010 mining accident rescue efforts, on August 10. |
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Location | |
Mina San José
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Location | Copiapó |
City | Atacama Region |
Country | Chile |
Owner | |
Company | San Esteban Mining Company |
None | Private company |
Production | |
Products | Copper |
History | |
Opened | 1889 |
Closed | 2010 |
The San José Mine (Spanish: Mina San José) is a small copper-gold mine located near Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile.[1] The mine is mostly known for its 2010 collapse which trapped 33 miners 700 metres (2,300 ft) underground.[2] Its workings are reached by a long sloping roadway with many spiral turns (a diagram shows ten turns), not by a vertical mineshaft.
The San José Mine is located 45 kilometers northwest of Copiapó. It began to be operated in 1889.[1] In 1957, Jorge Kemeny Letay, a Hungarian immigrant founded the San Esteban Mining Company (Spanish: Compañía Minera San Esteban).[1]
According to Terra, the mine's annual sales surpassed 20 million dollars.[1]
Between 2003 and 2010, several mining accidents occurred in the mine, causing at least three deaths.[1] In 2007, a geologist was killed in the mine, and led to its closure. It was reopened in May 2008 by SERNAGEOMIN – Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (National Geology and Mining Service). In July 2010, miner Gino Cortés lost one of his legs in an accident.[1]
Compañía Minera San Esteban (English: San Esteban Mining Company) advised national authorities on 5 August 2010 that a collapse had occurred at 14:00 local time, and rescue efforts began the next day. National Emergencies Office of Chile reported that day a list of 33 trapped and possibly deceased miners, that included Franklin Lobos, a retired footballer, and Carlos Mamani, a Bolivian miner.[2] The miners were found alive 17 days later, on August 22.[3] Nonetheless, it was not until 69 days after the collapse on October 13, 2010, that the first miner, Florencio Ávalos, was rescued.[4]
San Esteban Mining Company is considering bankruptcy after the miners are rescued.[5] San José is the only mine owned by San Esteban.[5] President of Chile Sebastián 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."[6]