2010 Copiapó mining accident (8/5/10)

On August 5, 2010, the roof of the San José copper-gold mine collapsed, leaving 33 miners trapped underground.

The San José Mine is about 45 kilometers (28 mi) north of Copiapó, Chile. The miners were trapped at approximately 700 metres (2,300 ft) deep and about 5 kilometers (3.1 mi) from the mine entrance. The mine had a history of instability that had led to previous accidents, including one death.[3] A government report from July 2010 warned that the mine owners had failed "to reinforce the roof ...". The lack of reinforcement "had led to [an earlier] collapse of the roof." There has been controversy over why the mine was not closed down earlier.