Buried Alive The True Story of the Chilean Mining Disaster and the Extraordinary Rescue at Camp Hope

by Pino Toro, Manuel; Morales, Natalie

• ISBN13: 9780230115156
• ISBN10: 0230115152
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2011-03-29
• Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Summary

On August 5, 2010, a tunnel in the gold and copper mine in the Atacama Desert in Chile collapsed, with all of its miners trapped underground. For days, the families waited breathlessly as percussion drills searched out signs of life. Finally, a note came back from below--the miners were alive and safe. Now the rescue crew needed to burrow through 2300 feet of solid rock to get them out. For nine weeks, the world watched as Chile threw all of its resources into the effort. Televisions flashed images of worried families holding vigil night and day and of Chile#x19;s newly elected President Pinera making their recovery his personal crusade. What the cameras didn#x19;t reveal was the behind-the-scenes intrigue: the corruption that led to faulty construction of the tunnel in the first place; how the men lived in a muddy and humid environment where the temperature was unbearably hot; how the rescue effort became a political campaign to raise the president#x19;s sagging numbers; and the abundant hope necessary to sustain the men in their underground captivity. Author Manuel Pino takes us into his native Chile and, drawing on direct access to the miners and their families, weaves a rich narrative of extraordinary survival and triumph.

Author Biography

Chilean journalist Manuel Pino was one of the first reporters at the disaster site, interviewing families at Camp Hope. Pino also served as editor of the Latin America and World sections of La Opinion in Los Angeles, California, the largest and most important Spanish daily newspaper in the U.S. He is a contributor for Radio Francia Internacional, the television network ATEI in Spain; and Noticias Culturales Iberoamericanas.

Natalie Morales is a co-anchor and national correspondent for NBC’s Today.

Table of Contents

Foreword	p. ix
Introduction	p. 1
The Ill-Fated Shift	p. 7
Reckless Acts	p. 21
Men Cry, Too	p. 41
Anguish versus Laughter	p. 51
ôWe Are Okay in the Refuge-the 33ö	p. 67
Three Plans	p. 81
ôThe Mine Hereö	p. 91
ôUnderstood, Doctorö	p. 105
The Director	p. 117
Hope Is Born	p. 135
The Soul's Beauty in the Flesh	p. 145
ôWe're Ready, Mateö	p. 149
Like Fighter Pilots	p. 161
The Beginning of the End	p. 173
Freedom Bound	p. 177
God in Flesh and Blood	p. 187
Son of the Desert	p. 199
Epilogue	p. 215
Index	p. 219
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