Page 152 - Active Skills for Reading Intro Book

Alive to Tell Their Tale! 1

On August 5, 2010, an accident trapped
33 men 700 meters underground. The men
worked for a copper and gold mine near
Copiap6, Chile. At first, no one knew if the
5 miners had lived through the accident

Then, on the morning of August 22, rescue
workers made a hole deep enough to reach the
miners. The men wrote notes and sent them
up. The miners had survived by eating only
10 small bits of food at a time and drinking a little milk once a day. (The mine kept some
food and drinks underground in cas� of an emergency.) They had used their tools to dig
for water. They had used the batteries from machines to keep, some lights on.
Once the miners were found, the rescue workers
passed them food, water, books, and letters from

15 their families. Even though the miners had been
found, the rescuers had to work hard to get them
out. The rescuers needed a powerful drill to dig
deep into the ground. It took 52 more days to
save the men.

On the night of
20
October 12, the
workers were able to save the men. One by one the miners
were brought up in a specially built elevator. They were
weak, so the workers were very careful. Family members,
25 friends, and people around the world cheered and
celebrated. Church bells rang throughout Chile.

y
In all, the miners spent 69 terrifying da s underground.
"We had strength, ... we war;ited to fight for our families,
.
and that was the greatest thing." said Luis Urzua, the
30 supervisor. He was the last miner to be saved.
2

1 A tale is a story.
2 A supervisor is a manager or group leader who makes sure workers are working correctly.

Alive to Tell Their Tale 151