Maptek remembers the Chile mine rescue … five years on

Tuesday, August 11th, 2015

Five years ago today Marcelo Arancibia received a phone call that was to change the course of history.

Walter Véliz from BHP Escondida was on the line, ‘We need your help!’

Step back 6 days to 5 August 2010 when a collapse at the San José mine near Copiapo in Chile trapped 33 men underground.

Maptek collaborated with the Chilean Government and other technology companies to gather and model technical data to find an access shaft for freeing the miners.

Maptek staff surveyed the site to gather accurate topographic data, and combined this with historical 2D plans. Then began the task of meticulously modelling all of the information in 3D in Vulcan and designing the orientation of drillholes to intersect the shaft where the men were believed to be.

One of these drillholes was later enlarged to the Plan B access shaft that was used to rescue the men after 69 days underground.

Everyone in Maptek can be proud of our role in the events of 2010.

How Maptek expertise helped with the Chile mine rescue and finding The 33 (Los 33)

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