Operation against the clock to rescue a worker trapped in a mine in Chile

Chilean authorities were racing against time Wednesday to rescue a worker who has been trapped for more than 30 hours after a landslide at a mine in the far north of the country.

The worker, identified as José Espinoza Albornoz, who is a machine operator, was trapped inside a closed-cabin machine when it was buried at a depth of about 260 meters after a collapse in the Pampa Camarones mine, in the Arica and Parinacota region.

“Rescue work has continued throughout the day, with the arrival of specialized mining rescue teams and aircraft from the municipalities of Antofagasta, Iquique and Copiapó being coordinated,” the National Disaster Prevention and Response Service reported.

The miner is “uninjured, well ventilated and in constant communication with the rescuers” so the rescue is proceeding “without major problems,” he added.

The incident occurred at 11:23 pm local time on Monday night, during clean-up activities at the mine where “a material slide” occurred.

“Emergency protocols were immediately activated, the sector was isolated and activities were halted, evacuating the people working in the area,” the Pampa Camarones company said in a statement.

But the first rescue teams only managed to access the site on Tuesday afternoon and operations have been ongoing since then.

The trapped miner’s colleagues have posted a video on social media of a radio conversation with him. In the message, Espinoza Albornoz acknowledges that it is “complicated” to be underground but he is trying to reassure his family. “It is difficult, but I am doing everything I can,” said the worker.

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