Abu Dhabi: The Chilean ambassador to the UAE has urged the media not to exploit the 33 miners trapped in the underground shelter of a collapsed gold-copper mine in Chile so that they would have time to recover from their 69-day ordeal with their families.
The men and their rescuers showed immense determination and courage, and they should now be given some much-needed private time in order to recover, Jean-Paul Tarud told Gulf News in an interview.
"Right now, everyone is happy and relieved because the workers' ordeal is over, and that the rescue operation went off flawlessly and quickly," Tarud said.
Tarud said it was known that the owner of the mine had not followed safety regulations but that it was the tight legal framework of Chile which played an important role in saving the miners.
"The inspections had found some tunnels unfit for operation and had asked the owner to reinforce them before operating them. He however failed to do so and had sent in the miners, who agreed to work because they are paid on a day-to day basis," Tarud explained.
"People are not known to survive mining accidents. But the steel-reinforced shelters that are required by our legal system, and the supplies of food, water and oxygen in them is what saved these workers," he added.
Mining is the biggest industry in terms of monetary value in Chile, and thousands of gold, copper, silver, lithium, iron and magnesium mines are in operation around the country.
The government therefore conducts strict inspections to ascertain the safety of workers in the dangerous industry.
The diplomat also said that the strictness of these mine inspections would definitely double following the ordeal.
"Inspectors will make sure that the shelters are not only up and running, but that tunnels which have suffered damages due to February's 8.8 earthquake and its 237 aftershocks are first deemed safe before being used again," he said.
Although the compensation package for the 33 miners has not been announced yet, the ambassador said that compensation would be determined based on the legal system and announcements were likely to follow soon.
