BURIED ALIVE: THE CHILEAN MINE RESCUE

UK / Channel Four – Pioneer Production / 1×60 minute episode / Broadcast Wednesday 27 October 2010 @ 8.00pm

Executive producer: Stuart Carter / Directors: Tom Stubberfield, Nick Evans

Without question one of the most amazing stories of the year is that of the incredibly fortunate 33 Chilean miners who spent 70 days trapped underground following a mine collapse.

The disaster began on 5 August 2010 when 33 workers at the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile were missing feared very probably dead after a mine collapse, for 17 days their fate was unknown until the highly specialised drilling rigs used to find them made it into the tunnel the men had found themselves in – all 33 were still alive and all were in good health.

The men had to endure a total of 70 days underground as a team of specialists attempted to drill through half a mile of tough rock to get to them – as tiny holes were made in their tunnel, food, supplies and cameras were able to be fed into them until the rescue hole was wide enough to fit a man through.

All of this of course was carried out in the full glare of the media – an incredibly emotional story of despair then hope then triumph the Chilean miners story has it all. A big screen Hollywood movie is already in the works but it’s actually unlikely to match up to the real footage as witnessed in this incredible documentary.