People/miner, victim

Luis Urzua

Luis Urzua, miner, victim, from Chile. Linked to copper, gold.

The lucky break

As shift foreman at the San Jose mine he took charge of the 33 men trapped 700 metres down after the collapse of 5 August 2010. He rationed the emergency food to two spoonfuls of tuna and half a glass of milk every 48 hours and used his topography training to map the tunnels.1,2

The downfall

Trapped for weeks before contact was made on 22 August 2010, after 17 days.1,2

Legacy

The Guardian describes him as the leader whose discipline held the group together. The Chilean health minister said a shift foreman is effectively 'owner of the mine' during his shift.1,2

Story cards

Timeline

  1. 2010Copiapo San Jose mine collapse and rescue3
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Where next

Events

Worked atCopiapo San Jose mine collapse and rescueShift foreman of the 33 men trapped when the San Jose mine collapsed.1

Sources

  1. Luis Urzua, the foreman keeping hope alive for Chile's trapped miners The Guardian (Jonathan Franklin, 5 Sep 2010)
  2. Chilean miners found alive - but rescue will take four months The Guardian (Haroon Siddique and agencies, 23 Aug 2010)
  3. Chilean miners: families camp at Camp Hope (25 Aug 2010) The Guardian

From the Prospector Trails mining history dataset: each fact links to the source it was checked against. Figures are as the source gives them, in the money of their day. Not investment advice.

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Cover photos from Wikimedia Commons: Haul trucks by Lechhabmed, CC BY-SA 4.0; Drilling and blasting by Siim Roov, CC BY-SA 4.0; Chuquicamata from the ISS by Alexander Gerst (ESA), CC BY-SA 2.0. Pictures: Escondida Mine, Chile, NASA/GSFC/METI/ERSDAC/JAROS, and U.S./Japan ASTER Science Team (Public domain (NASA media, no copyright)).