A year on, Chile miners' future hopes are unfulfilled

[Gerald]

Told nothing would be the same again, many of those trapped in the Chilean mine have returned to the lives they had before.

When the 33 miners who were trapped underground in Chile last year were finally rescued, great things were predicted for them.

They would be rich, films would be made about them, journalists would pay fortunes for their stories, and they would never have to work again.

-Reality has been far less kind.

One year on from the accident at the San Jose mine, half of them are unemployed and many of those who do have jobs are working part-time, as mechanics, odd-job men or greengrocers.

Several of the men are on sick leave and are still grappling with the psychological impact of what they went through.

A couple of the 33 have ventured back down the mines, although in places with far better safety records than San Jose, their prison for over two months.

-Legal suit.

Franklin Lobos, a former professional footballer-turned-miner, has returned to his roots, working as a coach for the local team, Deportes Copiapo.

Perhaps the most successful of the men are those who have become motivational speakers. People are still fascinated by their story, and some of the miners are making a living from retelling it.

"We're 33 different people," says Raul Bustos, who believes he and his fellow miners have all dealt with the psychological impact of their ordeal in their own different ways.
Miner Samuel Avalos waves after being winched to safety The Phoenix II capsule, used to winch the men to safety, is now housed in a museum

"In my case, I came off sick leave back in December," said Mr Bustos, who works as a guest speaker for a telephone company.

"The state, in turn, is still pursuing the mine owners in a bid to claw back the millions of dollars spent on last year's rescue. The mine itself remains closed.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-14578721


Note: 21 August 2011 Last updated at 06:13 GMT