Fenix 2: remembering Australia’s contribution in the Chile mine rescue of 2010

In Canberra, near Hutton Street in the city,  is a reminder of Australia’s significant contribution in the rescue of Chilean miners when the mine collapsed on August 5, 2010.  

Capula Fenix 2 (Capsule Phoenix 2) is a replica of the capsule used to rescue 33 trapped miners from the 121-year old San Jose copper-gold mine in the Atacama Desert, 45 kilometres (28 miles) from Copiapo. They were buried 700 metres (2,300 feet) underground and about 5 kilometres (3 miles) from the entrance. The men moved into the emergency cavern, with an area of 50 square metres (540 square feet), but with poor ventilation they moved into a tunnel. They could move around in 2 kilometres (1.2 miles) of tunnels, but with only enough food for 3 days.

Eight exploratory boreholes were drilled. Seventeen days after the mine collapsed, the Australian rescue drill team was the first to penetrate the cavern. When the drill bit returned to the surface there was a note in red writing taped to the end, stating “We are well in the shelter, the 33.” Hours later, video cameras sent down the borehole showed images of the men. Food, messages, and items were sent to the men. With assistance from multi-national corporations from nearly every continent, and advice from the National Aeronautics & Space Administration centre (NASA), the rescue was underway.

On October 14, 2010, after 69 days underground, the first of the miners was brought to the surface. Fenix 2 ferried each and every miner by a winching operation, taking 15-20 minutes at a time through 623 metres of rock, to daylight and a waiting crowd. The whole operation took almost 24 hours.

The steel rescue capsule was constructed by the Chilean Navy with design input from NASA. They produced 3 capsules, using Fenix 2. Fenix 2 was 54 centimetres (21 inches) wider, just wide enough to fit into the tunnel. As tall as just over 2 men, it had an oxygen supply, lighting, video and voice communication.

The replica stainless steel Capsula Fenix 2 was installed in Canberra in August 2011, gifted to the people and government of Australia from the people and government of Chile, as a thank you for the drill bit that was the first to break through the rock to reach the trapped miners enabling the rescue to commence.

MARTINA NICOLLSis an international aid and development consultant, and the authorof:- Similar But Different in the Animal Kingdom(2017), The Shortness of Life: A Mongolian Lament (2015), Liberia’s Deadest Ends (2012), Bardot’s Comet (2011), Kashmir on a Knife-Edge (2010) and The Sudan Curse (2009).