Emergency Mine Rescue

Emergency Mine Rescue - An engineering triumph in Chile.

Trapped under nearly a half-mile of solid rock in a collapsed mine in Chile’s remote Atacama desert, 33 miners fight for survival, battling 95 degree heat, minimal lighting, and--most dangerous of all--the risk of losing all hope of rescue. But thanks to the heroic work of a global team of engineers who struggled tirelessly around the clock in a desperate bid to bring them safely to the surface, the trapped miners’ 69-day ordeal has a happy ending.

With special access to the site of the San José mine, interviews with the mining engineers and the miners’ steadfast families, and animations of the underground tunnels carved out by a century of mining, NOVA reveals the extraordinary stories of the three rescue teams, racing against time--and each other--to punch through the layers of rock and reach the miners’ chamber. A story of astonishing survival and unwavering hope, Emergency Mine Rescue gives viewers an unprecedented look at this triumph of technology and of the human spirit.