The day Chilean miners were rescued – level 3

13-10-2010

On August 5, 33 Chilean miners became trapped 670 meters underground after a cave-in at a copper-gold mine in Chile. They were in a small, dark chamber with limited food, water, and oxygen.

The Chilean government quickly launched a massive rescue operation. For the next 17 days, rescuers tried to locate the trapped miners, eventually establishing contact on August 22. From that moment on, the rescuers were sending food, water, and medical supplies through an 8 cm hole.

An international team of experts started to work on a plan to safely pull out the miners. They drilled a bigger through the rock and designed a special capsule in which the miners could be transported one by one to safety.

On October 13, after 69 days, the world watched the miners emerge from the depths. They were greeted by relieved family members, friends, and rescuers.

Difficult words: cave-in (a moment when the roof of a mine falls), copper (a soft metal used in electrical wires), chamber (a room), capsule (a container that looks like an egg).

What do you think were some of the biggest challenges that rescuers faced in attempting to bring the miners to safety?

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