MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Miners rescue operation cost between 10 and 20 million US dollars

President Piñera: every peso was well spent

Chilean President Sebastian Piñera revealed that the rescue operation for the 33 miners trapped during 70 days 622 metres underground in the north of the country cost between 10 and 20 million US dollars.

“The total sum of costs is between 10 and 20 million US dollars: a third has been voluntary donations from many private companies, the other two thirds have been undertaken by the Chilean treasury and Codelco (Chile’s National Copper Corporation)”, said Piñera in a television interview.

The Chilean president promised that in coming days a detail of costs and expenses of the rescue operation would be made public, “but it was very much worth it, every peso was well spent”.

He underlined that not only did the operation count with the best technology and the best equipments, but also with “the best human team ever organized in the history of our country”.

Piñera revealed that the owners of the San Jose mine, Alejandro Bohn and Marcelo Kemeny never contacted government officials or the rescuers team during the operation.
“The owners of the mine did not act as they should have. This mine should have never been certified to work under the conditions it was functioning. Definitively this mine is not going to reopen again”.

“The Chilean authorities will never ever again allow mining companies to let their workers under such poor safety conditions as the ones offered at the San José mine.”
Piñera anticipated he would be receiving the group of 33 miners at Government House, Casa de la Moneda in Santiago, once the workers have been discharged by doctors.