The San Jose Mine Rescue 2010
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Located in the hot Chilean desert of Atacama
Is the San Jose mine that became the focus of drama
The miners reported for work, to start their day
Totally unaware of what was coming their way.
It was August the tenth two thousand and ten
When an almighty thunder left them shaken
There had been a cave-in, and that was the sound
Now they were trapped half a mile underground.
But water and food were in short supply
They were all worried, they’d starve and die
Meanwhile up above the bad news had spread
They feared all thirty three miners were dead.
The main task now was to recover their bodies
So funerals could be arranged for their families
For the relatives they set up, a ‘camp of hope’
Counselling was provided, to help them cope.
Mothers, wives, children and girlfriends too
Just prayed, kept a vigil, it was all they could do
Small drills they used to bore into the ground
Hoping and praying that their bodies be found.
On August the twenty second, a drill was seen below
The miners banged it with hammers to let them know
They also attached a note to show they were not dead
‘We’re all well in the refuge’, that’s what the note said.
The rescuers found the note and heard a banging sound
The news spread like wildfire, the miners had been found
It was surely a miracle of that there’s no doubt
But the problem that they had was how to get them out.
Specialists from NASA and the Chilean Navy
Came to assist in the rescue, of the thirty three
A camera was sent down, found them all alive
Rationing their food had enabled them to survive.
All their families were ecstatic, some were in shock
A giant drill was brought in that could bore into rock
Food and water they managed to send down the test hole
Isolation and claustrophobia had taken their toll.
Their spirits rose when they knew they’d been found
Preparations for rescue were being made above ground
A giant drill that is used when searching for oil
They used for the rescue to bore through rock and soil.
It took just under two months for them to bore through
A man-size capsule was then lowered, the Phoenix two
When each miner was brought out, there were loud cheers
All the families were emotional, some burst into tears’.
It was the twelfth of October when the rescue began
And they finished the next day, saving every man
For sixty nine days they had managed to survive
Worldwide a billion people watched the rescue on TV live.
Written 21 February 2018
Copyright © Tom Cunningham | Year Posted 2018
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