Rio Tinto, Panguna stakeholders to address mine legacy impacts at roundtable
The Panguna Mine Legacy Impact Assessment is expected to be published later this month.
Two of the 33 Chilean miners trapped during 69 days underground in 2010 are back in the mining world, after the Salvador Division of copper giant Codelco opened its doors for them, reports local online news site SoyCopiapo.cl.
Pedro Cortes and Carlos Bugueño, childhood friends and later co-workers at San Jose copper-gold mine, said they have had a hard time finding a job after the accident, until recently, when they applied to a local government’s selection process and got a job at Codelco.
The miners believe this opportunity will allow them to feel a sense of closure after their story of survival, which captured global attention.
“People thought that because we were part of the 33, we would find work easily after the rescue. That didn’t happen. We looked for work for over a year in both public and private companies and we got nothing,” said Pedro Cortes, who was miner number 31 to be rescued in October 2010.
Both miners are now are in the process of induction and training to join the team at the smelter in shift system 5×5. They’ll be on probation for the next three months before they sign a contract.
(Photo: Pedro Cortez being rescued, SkyNews)
