Chile – The miner’s crisis
Many of these photographs should never have been taken. They came from a camera smuggled past tight security during one of history’s greatest tales of survival. I was sent to Chile by BBC Panorama to work as an Associate Producer on a documentary. One of our main contributors was Angelica Alvarez, the girlfriend of Edison Pena. We collaborated with her and she wrapped one of our small digital cameras in a pair of socks. It was then smuggled to Edison through the ‘Paloma’ system – a metal case that was sent to and from the mine connecting the miners with their families.
Edison Pena took these pictures while trapped half a mile underground in northern Chiles Atacama desert. Edison, who became known as the runner, was one of 33 men trapped for 69 days following a collapse at the San Jose Mine where he worked. As far as I am aware this collection depicting his life underground is the only record not to have been subject to Chilean Government censorship.
On the eve of his rescue he sent up the memory card to reveal an amazing array of photographs that show his battle against the mine. Edison’s photos are shown here with some pictures of my own that I took during the crisis showing items he sent to the surface prior to release and a portrait of Edison himself three days after his liberation. This work was given a special mention in the 2010 World Press Photo awards.
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