BBC Learning English
Words in the News
22
nd
August 2011
Chilean miners' anniversary
Words in the News
© British Broadcasting Corporation 2011
Page 1 of 2
bbclearningenglish.com
The 33 miners who were rescued from underground in Chile last year are marking the first
anniversary of the day that they were found alive. Many of them have said that for them,
August the 22nd was the most memorable day of their whole ordeal - even more so than the
day of the rescue itself. From Chile, Gideon Long reports:
Most people in Chile remember where they were when they heard that the miners had been
found alive. It's a day that's etched on the national conscience.
The men had been trapped for 17 days. Nothing had been heard from them and most people
had given them up for dead.
Then on August 22nd engineers pulled a drill out of the ground and found a splash of red
paint on it - a sign of life. Moments later they found a note attached to the drill. "We are all
well in the shelter, the 33," it read.
The discovery sparked wild celebrations across Chile. The miners will be remembering that
day in private ceremonies in the city of Copiapo.
The government has decided not to mark the occasion formally. A similar anniversary in
Copiapo two weeks ago was marred by protests against President Sebastian Pinera.
Relations between the miners and the government have soured somewhat since July, when 31
of the men launched legal action against the Chilean state, accusing it of negligence.
And in Copiapo, some of the workers from the San Jose mine who weren't trapped but who
lost their jobs because of the accident have accused the 33 of taking advantage of their
celebrity and using it to line their own pockets.
Gideon Long, BBC News, Chile
