| Mina San José | |
| Width: | 250px |
| Pushpin Map: | Chile |
| Pushpin Label: | Mina San José |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | Location in Chile |
| Coordinates: | -27.1586°N -70.4977°W |
| Place: | Copiapó |
| Subdivision Type: | City |
| State/Province: | Atacama Region |
| Country: | Chile |
| Owner: | San Esteban Mining Company |
| Products: | Copper, Gold |
| Opening Year: | 1889 |
| Closing Year: | 2010 |
The San José Mine (Spanish; Castilian: Mina San José) is a small copper-gold mine located near Copiapó, Atacama Region, Chile. The mine became known internationally for its collapse in 2010, which trapped 33 miners 700m (2,300feet) underground. Its workings are reached by a long sloping roadway with many spiral turns (a diagram shows ten turns), not by a vertical mineshaft.
The San José Mine is located 45 kilometers northwest of Copiapó. The mine began operations in 1889.[1] In 1957, Jorge Kemeny Letay, a Hungarian immigrant founded the San Esteban Mining Company (Spanish; Castilian: Compañía Minera San Esteban).[1]
According to Terra, the mine's annual sales surpassed 20 million dollars.[1]
Between 2003 and 2010, several mining accidents occurred in the mine, causing at least three deaths.[1] In 2007, a geologist was killed in the mine, and led to its closure. In May 2008, SERNAGEOMIN – Servicio Nacional de Geología y Minería (National Geology and Mining Service) resumed mining operations at the San José Mine. In July 2010, miner Gino Cortés lost a leg in an accident.[1]
See main article: 2010 Copiapó mining accident. Compañía Minera San Esteban (English: San Esteban Mining Company) advised national authorities on 5 August 2010 that a collapse had occurred at 14:00 local time, and rescue efforts began the next day. National Emergencies Office of Chile reported that day a list of 33 trapped and possibly deceased miners, that included Franklin Lobos, a retired footballer, and Carlos Mamani, a Bolivian miner.[2] The miners were found alive 17 days later, on August 22.[3] Nonetheless, it was not until 69 days after the collapse on October 13, 2010, that the first miner, Florencio Ávalos, was rescued.[4]
San Esteban Mining Company is considering bankruptcy after the miners are rescued.[5] San José is the only mine owned by San Esteban.[5] President of Chile Sebastián Piñera said on October 12 that "the mine will remain closed until security measures that guard the life and dignity of the workers are established."