去年8月5日，智利聖何塞銅礦塌方，33名礦工被埋井底。經過長達69天堪稱“奇蹟”的生死大營救後，礦工們被如願救出。如今，距離塌方事件已經長達一年了，這些礦工和他們的家人試圖重新回歸當初的生活，但卻發現面臨的是一個完全陌生的世界。事實證明，現實比想像複雜得多。
麥斯（中）和克勞迪奧·亞涅斯（左）亮相智利科皮亞波，為達喀爾拉力賽助威。去年，以馬里奧·戈麥斯為代表的礦工們一夜成名，在全球各地爭相亮相。但很快，他們便陷入窮困潦倒的境地。
文_Angus Macqueen 編譯 _張小車
他們（礦工）不是英雄，我們（家屬）也不是，我們全部都是受害者。”礦工馬里奧·戈麥斯的妻子莉莉·拉米雷斯喃喃自語著。
2010年8月5日，智利聖何塞銅礦塌方，在33名被困礦工中，63歲的戈麥斯是年紀最大的一個。經過兩個多月的驚險營救，戈麥斯和其他礦工升井那一刻，全球大約有10億人在電視機前觀看這場堪稱奇蹟的生死大救援。現在，距離塌方事件已經一周年，當初被困礦工及其家人們卻還在過著既陌生又痛苦的生活。正如莉莉所說：這一年來，什麼都變了。
被隱藏的事實
對於去年8月5日晚上的情形，莉莉永遠也不會忘記。當時，她正和往常一樣準備晚餐，突然聽到一陣局促的敲門聲。站在門外的是聖何塞銅礦的負責人，莉莉還記得那位負責人說：“礦上出現了塌方事故，戈麥斯被埋井底，現在礦場需要找一些特殊的機器，在明早之前就能把他們救出來。
“我跟他說不要再騙人了，我知道在智利這個國度礦井塌方的恐怖之處，如果有人被埋井底，那麼沒人能活到第二天凌晨。”聽到消息後，莉莉立馬來到了塌方現場。
當晚，第一支救援隊開始出現，但他們無法救出被困的礦工。 “造成悲劇的是那些管理不善者，所以我不相信任何人。”莉莉覺得，如果救援進展並不順利的話，銅礦管理人員很可能會編造個故事出來欺騙整個拉丁美洲甚至全世界。因此，她和其他被困礦工的家屬們拿起棍棒示威，封鎖道路不讓救援隊離開。
“如果救援人員離開了，礦工們就徹底沒救了。”隨後，當地警察局長出現在塌方現場。他回憶，如果當初沒有這些家庭婦女的干預，救援隊很可能就已經離開了，而那些被困井下的礦工，可能永遠也沒有重見天日的機會。由於最終救援成功，很少有人記得礦難發生第一天的故事；很少有人知道，在災難轉變為榮光的過程中，莉莉和其她婦女在背後起了什麼樣的推動作用。
最初幾天，沒什麼好消息傳來。但莉莉拒絕接受悲觀主義，她不能把丈夫棄之井底而不顧。 “當局試圖把我們踢開，他們對我們說：孩子們還在家裡等你們呢，他們可能生病了，而且應該去上學了……銅礦負責人說他們已經沒有生意可做了，因為我們堵住了進出的道路。”莉莉說，那時各個家庭幾乎所有人都來礦井旁守候。此後，這里便形成了著名的“希望營地”。
這些婦女不惜一切利用媒體的力量挽救家屬性命的行為，令人十分震驚。 “我們呼籲智利總統不要放棄我們的親人。”莉莉回憶說，“作為一個父親，作為一家之主，如果這種遭遇發生在他身上，他會是什麼感受？”最終，婦女們的呼籲得到了重視。被困礦工馬里奧·塞普爾韋達的妻子埃爾維拉·凱蒂·瓦爾迪維亞說：“我們意識到，越來越多的記者被調動起來。因此，如果我們不高興，我們幾乎可以生吞了礦業部長.
對於那些家庭婦女來說，剛開始的17天簡直是種煎熬：沒人知道被埋礦工是死是活。每天，家庭婦女們都像坐過山車一樣，在希望與絕望之間徘徊，並不斷通過智利媒體向救援人員施加壓力。第14天的時候，一個主要的探測器什麼也沒有發現，這讓莉莉陷入忐忑之中。政府不希望再沿著這條主隧道探測下去，以免引發更大的塌方；而由莉莉領導的婦女們則一直希望探測下去，直到救出丈夫為止，雙方僵持不下。
第17天的時候，奇蹟出現了，救援人員聽到隧道下傳來了聲音。當智利總統宣讀礦工從井底傳上來的紙條時，歡呼雀躍的人群中，始終不見莉莉的身影。 “當聽到這個消息的時候，我興奮得跳了起來，緊接著就昏過去了，足足有8分鐘。我找到聖母瑪利亞的塑像，不停地哭，感謝她沒有讓我的希望落空。
也正是在那天晚上，整起事件轉變為一個全球性的慶祝活動。人們熱議戈麥斯和莉莉再來一場豪華的教堂婚禮；接著是尤尼·巴里奧斯，他之所以出名是因為有兩名女子在洞口等著他，一個是情婦，一個是妻子。不過現在，巴里奧斯已經和情婦一刀兩斷了；當然，還有“貓王”的歌迷愛迪生·培尼亞，受困期間他曾托官員為他準備“貓王”的歌曲。
想當初災難發生時，伊麗莎白·塞戈維亞正懷著她的第三個孩子。那時，被困井底的丈夫阿瑞爾·泰科納告訴她，自己已經和那些一起被埋井下的礦工成了朋友。大家一起決定，等她肚子裡的孩子一出生，就起名為“Esperanza（西班牙語中'希望'的意思）”或“Hope”。
孩子出生後，夫妻倆真的將之起名為
2011年1月31日，去年被困井底69天的智利礦工帶著家人來到美國奧蘭多迪斯尼樂園，受邀在此歡度6天假期
培尼亞是“貓王”的粉絲，2011年1月7日，他到“貓王”故居參觀。
磚房中的“英雄”
一年之後的今天，莉莉生活在一個工地上，過著簡單的生活；和所有礦工一樣，馬里奧·戈麥斯正準備用補償金修補下房子，添置一到兩個房間。當你來到智利科皮亞波，會看到一排排的單層磚房，而礦工們的家就在那些簡陋的房子中。只有走進去，你才能理解他們的生活到底有多艱苦。很多家庭中至少有五口人，但他們住的房子只有兩間。對他們很多人來說，儘管被描述成英雄，但生活依然是殘酷的。
由於房間太小，莉莉平時只好在廚房裡睡覺。不過有些出乎意料的是，在廚房邊竟然停著一輛嶄新的紅色川崎摩托車。這是摩托車廠為了表揚33名被埋礦工而給出的獎勵。仔細上前觀瞧，摩托車上顯示行駛路程為零。年過花甲的戈麥斯此前甚至都沒坐過摩托車，自打有了這輛摩托車後，他只騎過兩次，不過每次的速度都沒超過二檔。在車旁邊的架子上放著聖母瑪利亞的肖像，想當初在“希望營地”上，莉莉就是拿著這副畫像每日誠心祈禱。此外，屋子裡還排滿了各種有關33名被埋礦工的紀念圖標。
回顧過去一年來的種種，莉莉百感交集。她很感激很多人的幫助，把丈夫戈麥斯和其他被埋礦工從隧道裡救出來，但是，對她來說，與戈麥斯重新在一起生活又是不容易的。不僅對她，對其他礦工的家屬也一樣如此。
33名礦工中，很少有人能默默回到家里安安靜靜地過從前的日子，他們的生活完全被打亂了。這些礦工一直都是人們追逐和關注的焦點，他們受到各種各樣的稱讚，在全世界各地來回飛行。他們飛到洛杉磯，為“CNN英雄”拍攝紀錄片；緊接著，他們又應傳奇球星鮑比·查爾頓和智利葡萄酒公司的邀請，飛赴英超曼聯俱樂部所在的老克拉福德球場，接受全場7.5萬名觀眾的歡呼致敬；當他們出現在美國紐約或以色列特拉維夫的街頭時，很多人都能認出他們，每個人都想微笑著和他們合影留念，並想摸摸這些大難不死的礦工，以便沾染點“好運氣”；當某個匿名團體組織組團去曼徹斯特觀看脫衣舞表演時，帶頭人握著他們的手叫他們一起去，並承諾全程免費……33名礦工被成功救援的故事，就猶如暗夜裡的一束光，讓他們聞名於全球。
想當初，從被埋礦井回到家里後，作為政府提供的保險計劃的一部分，礦工們每週都要去接受檢查和治療。此外，在重新上班前，他們可以從政府那裡取得一部分收入。但是礦工們在全球的東奔西走，意味著不可能每週都會出席與政府的見面會，也不可能每週都去檢查。隨著時間的延續，智利政府威脅：如果你們不停止在全球的旅行，那麼我們將會撤銷一切治療和援助。
見過這幫礦工的人都會意識到，這麼長時間以來，根本沒人為他們制定重回正常生活的計劃，也沒人認真幫助他們徹底忘記那段揮之不去的陰影。礦工阿瑞爾說，他不需要任何治療；其他人也在抱怨，與政府每週一次的見面會毫無意義可言。通過與他們的交流，可以感覺到，沒人曾警告他們所受的外傷和精神性創傷都需要很長時間才能慢慢恢復。大部分時間，他們接受的治療都是短效的，只是讓他們吃些安睡或保持冷靜的藥片而已。
有些礦工只能彼此之間互相慰藉，他們在井下經歷過生死時刻，這讓彼此之間的感情甚至超越了家人。不過，也有人害怕見到這些曾經的戰友，畢竟有些人開始飛黃騰達，金錢和名利在他們面前擺起了一道難以逾越的鴻溝。這就是男人。
2011年2月27日，約旦河西岸，智利被救礦工在身上塗抹黑泥。他們攜妻帶子來到以色列朝聖，尋求精神上的庇護。
但無論何時，妻子們始終都陪伴在礦工們的身邊，和他們一起努力工作，試圖恢復風波之前那段歲月的靜謐。對她們來說，任何外來幫助都是很奢侈的。只是偶爾，在有人邀請丈夫出席活動時，也會順便帶上自己。婦女們曾集體去了迪斯尼樂園，而伊麗莎白還和女兒Esperanza一起隨同丈夫遠赴德國參加一檔電視節目的錄製。 “只有五分鐘，讓我的孩子出現在了電視上，問題很無趣。”伊麗莎白笑著說，她很疑惑為什麼電視台邀請他們千里迢迢來到德國，卻只錄了五分鐘的節目，實在有些得不償失。現在，她發誓再也不會做這種事情了。
伊麗莎白是一位安靜、溫和、細緻周到的女人，平日里她經常和孩子一起檢查自己房子的四周是不是有攝影師在偷拍，她很討厭這一切。隨著時間的推移，當礦工們的英雄外衣逐漸被脫下，而周圍鄰居的妒忌心卻在日益增強，要想重新回到正常生活是件非常難的事。鄰居們經常看到有記者和攝影師在礦工們的家門口遊蕩，這讓他們以為，被埋礦工和他們的家庭一定從這起驚動全球的事件中受益匪淺，他們甚至稱礦工們被困井底是“運氣足夠好”的表現。豈不知，在礦工家庭風光的外表和所謂的“獎勵”下，他們的生活比以前更加艱辛。
伊麗莎白痛苦地說：“至少對我來說，我寧願自己把這一切都忘得一干二淨。我只是希望我的丈夫能回到從前，我們過從前那種平靜的生活。”她說，現在丈夫阿瑞爾在晚上經常失眠。在新年的時候，阿瑞爾最後乾脆完全消失在智利南部的某個地方了，只留下伊麗莎白和兩個兒子、一個寶貝女兒在家中苦苦等待。幾天以後，阿瑞爾又神奇般地出現了。問他去了哪裡，阿瑞爾卻稱自己一點也不記得了。
當被問及她是否曾和阿瑞爾討論礦難帶給他們的變化時，伊麗莎白苦笑著搖了搖頭：“我不想再打擾他了。”她和丈夫有個約定，並已經開始付諸實施。在礦井下被埋時，礦工們曾把聖母瑪利亞當成守護神。現在他們平安出來了，今年二月恰逢科皮亞波舉行盛大的傳統慶祝活動，伊麗莎白和阿瑞爾就把女兒打扮成聖母瑪利亞的樣子，也算是還了一個心願吧。
並不是所有人都像阿瑞爾和伊麗莎白一樣寂寂無名。曾在礦井下扮演“貓王”的愛迪生·培尼亞早已是成名人物了，34歲的他將在井底樹立起來的藝人形象繼續延伸了下去。雖然在事故發生前培尼亞從來都沒有慢跑的習慣，但他被埋期間在隧道裡跑步的新聞傳遍了世界各地。自從營救成功後，培尼亞收到各種各樣的邀請，而他也在紐約和東京的馬拉松賽場上亮了相。當然，他是為了出場費才這麼做的。現在，他已經移民到智利首都聖地亞哥，並儘一切努力在觀眾面前露臉。
隨著培尼亞的走紅，他的妻子安吉利卡只能帶著4歲的孩子從科皮亞波遠走他鄉，以便跟上丈夫的步伐。她非常想知道，現在每天和自己朝夕相處的那個人，到底還是不是自己從前的丈夫。 “礦難給了我另一個培尼亞，他的本性和脾氣全部都留在了井底。”安吉利卡說。
安吉利卡經常試圖管理丈夫的日常活動和日期安排，想把唱歌變成培尼亞的一項正規職業。今年早些時候，夫婦倆出現在英國倫敦的O2中心，和他們一起的都是成功的商業人士。他們想利用這些機會建立一個屬於自己的窗口—但成本卻超出了想像。
可以肯定的是，礦難事件的發生讓培尼亞的生活發生了前所未有的改變，他想藉助這起事件讓自己躍入名流，不想反被其累，因為被埋礦井下的創傷始終沒有在他生命中抹去。平時，培尼亞經常在看比賽或喝醉酒時發瘋似的發洩自己的憤怒，而沒人知道他到底為什麼這樣；在和兄弟聚會的時候，他把身上所有的錢花個精光；即便是他的母親也都在懷疑，自己的兒子是不是應該到醫院檢查下。安吉利卡更是憂心忡忡：“如果上帝和魔鬼都在礦井下的話，我想是魔鬼附著在他身上了。”今年春天，她終於勸服丈夫來到禁毒所戒毒。和其他礦工的妻子們一樣，自始至終，安吉利卡從來都沒想過可以從政府那裡得到幫助，因為沒有人會把他們這群人當做是受害者。
從去年的驚天救援至今，全世界大多數人在感動的同時，還天經地義地以為這些被埋的英雄和他們的家屬過著幸福的生活。豈不知，政府答應給他們的保障收入早就取消了，他們不得不重新面對新的清貧生活。最讓人震驚的是，現在阿瑞爾·泰科納又重新回到礦場謀生，妻子伊麗莎白和孩子們在家裡整日提心吊膽。很多礦工家庭都面臨同樣的慘痛現實。接下來怎麼辦？他們要怎樣生存？在這個世界上，根本沒有巨額資金會為他們提供生活保障，而那些認為國際聲望可以為他們帶來大筆收入的想法，更是大錯特錯
現在，礦工的律師們正考慮將礦場主和智利政府告上法庭。莉莉說，雖然她感謝上帝讓丈夫戈麥斯活了下來，但整個救援過程根本就不是奇蹟。 “那是管理不善造成的。如果礦場主早點為那些替他們拼命幹活的人想想，如果他不僅僅是想賺更多的便士，如果他沒有讓工人在極其惡劣的條件下工作… …”由於全世界對礦工們現狀的不了解，法院對這樁案件的審理可能要持續一兩年左右。而在這段時間裡，礦工家屬們只好無奈地與創傷作鬥爭。
回想去年被埋井底時的場景，在那艱難的69天裡，很多礦工向自己或神靈保證，如果能活著出去，他們一定會變成完全不同的人，他們承諾自己會變成更好的丈夫、更好的父親。他們知道，一旦自己從鬼門關走過一遭，一定能更好地了解這個世界，更好地珍惜他們來之不易的生活。
事實證明，現實比想像複雜得多。對那些苦心等待礦工活著歸來的妻子和家屬來說，過去的幾個月簡直是在痛苦中度過。在地下2000英尺深的隧道裡，馬里奧·戈麥斯曾向莉莉承諾，他們將重新舉行一場盛大的婚禮。但一年以來，兩次約定的日期都匆匆而過，而當初盛大婚禮的承諾，卻始終沒有兌現。
http://www.nbweekly.com/news/world/201108/27067.aspx
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麥斯（中）和克勞迪奧·亞涅斯（左）亮相智利科皮亞波，為達喀爾拉力賽助威。去年，以馬里奧·戈麥斯為代表的礦工們一夜成名，在全球各地爭相亮相。但很快，他們便陷入窮困潦倒的境地。
文_Angus Macqueen 編譯 _張小車
他們（礦工）不是英雄，我們（家屬）也不是，我們全部都是受害者。”礦工馬里奧·戈麥斯的妻子莉莉·拉米雷斯喃喃自語著。
2010年8月5日，智利聖何塞銅礦塌方，在33名被困礦工中，63歲的戈麥斯是年紀最大的一個。經過兩個多月的驚險營救，戈麥斯和其他礦工升井那一刻，全球大約有10億人在電視機前觀看這場堪稱奇蹟的生死大救援。現在，距離塌方事件已經一周年，當初被困礦工及其家人們卻還在過著既陌生又痛苦的生活。正如莉莉所說：這一年來，什麼都變了。
被隱藏的事實
對於去年8月5日晚上的情形，莉莉永遠也不會忘記。當時，她正和往常一樣準備晚餐，突然聽到一陣局促的敲門聲。站在門外的是聖何塞銅礦的負責人，莉莉還記得那位負責人說：“礦上出現了塌方事故，戈麥斯被埋井底，現在礦場需要找一些特殊的機器，在明早之前就能把他們救出來。
“我跟他說不要再騙人了，我知道在智利這個國度礦井塌方的恐怖之處，如果有人被埋井底，那麼沒人能活到第二天凌晨。”聽到消息後，莉莉立馬來到了塌方現場。
當晚，第一支救援隊開始出現，但他們無法救出被困的礦工。 “造成悲劇的是那些管理不善者，所以我不相信任何人。”莉莉覺得，如果救援進展並不順利的話，銅礦管理人員很可能會編造個故事出來欺騙整個拉丁美洲甚至全世界。因此，她和其他被困礦工的家屬們拿起棍棒示威，封鎖道路不讓救援隊離開。
“如果救援人員離開了，礦工們就徹底沒救了。”隨後，當地警察局長出現在塌方現場。他回憶，如果當初沒有這些家庭婦女的干預，救援隊很可能就已經離開了，而那些被困井下的礦工，可能永遠也沒有重見天日的機會。由於最終救援成功，很少有人記得礦難發生第一天的故事；很少有人知道，在災難轉變為榮光的過程中，莉莉和其她婦女在背後起了什麼樣的推動作用。
最初幾天，沒什麼好消息傳來。但莉莉拒絕接受悲觀主義，她不能把丈夫棄之井底而不顧。 “當局試圖把我們踢開，他們對我們說：孩子們還在家裡等你們呢，他們可能生病了，而且應該去上學了……銅礦負責人說他們已經沒有生意可做了，因為我們堵住了進出的道路。”莉莉說，那時各個家庭幾乎所有人都來礦井旁守候。此後，這里便形成了著名的“希望營地”。
這些婦女不惜一切利用媒體的力量挽救家屬性命的行為，令人十分震驚。 “我們呼籲智利總統不要放棄我們的親人。”莉莉回憶說，“作為一個父親，作為一家之主，如果這種遭遇發生在他身上，他會是什麼感受？”最終，婦女們的呼籲得到了重視。被困礦工馬里奧·塞普爾韋達的妻子埃爾維拉·凱蒂·瓦爾迪維亞說：“我們意識到，越來越多的記者被調動起來。因此，如果我們不高興，我們幾乎可以生吞了礦業部長.
對於那些家庭婦女來說，剛開始的17天簡直是種煎熬：沒人知道被埋礦工是死是活。每天，家庭婦女們都像坐過山車一樣，在希望與絕望之間徘徊，並不斷通過智利媒體向救援人員施加壓力。第14天的時候，一個主要的探測器什麼也沒有發現，這讓莉莉陷入忐忑之中。政府不希望再沿著這條主隧道探測下去，以免引發更大的塌方；而由莉莉領導的婦女們則一直希望探測下去，直到救出丈夫為止，雙方僵持不下。
第17天的時候，奇蹟出現了，救援人員聽到隧道下傳來了聲音。當智利總統宣讀礦工從井底傳上來的紙條時，歡呼雀躍的人群中，始終不見莉莉的身影。 “當聽到這個消息的時候，我興奮得跳了起來，緊接著就昏過去了，足足有8分鐘。我找到聖母瑪利亞的塑像，不停地哭，感謝她沒有讓我的希望落空。
也正是在那天晚上，整起事件轉變為一個全球性的慶祝活動。人們熱議戈麥斯和莉莉再來一場豪華的教堂婚禮；接著是尤尼·巴里奧斯，他之所以出名是因為有兩名女子在洞口等著他，一個是情婦，一個是妻子。不過現在，巴里奧斯已經和情婦一刀兩斷了；當然，還有“貓王”的歌迷愛迪生·培尼亞，受困期間他曾托官員為他準備“貓王”的歌曲。
想當初災難發生時，伊麗莎白·塞戈維亞正懷著她的第三個孩子。那時，被困井底的丈夫阿瑞爾·泰科納告訴她，自己已經和那些一起被埋井下的礦工成了朋友。大家一起決定，等她肚子裡的孩子一出生，就起名為“Esperanza（西班牙語中'希望'的意思）”或“Hope”。
孩子出生後，夫妻倆真的將之起名為
2011年1月31日，去年被困井底69天的智利礦工帶著家人來到美國奧蘭多迪斯尼樂園，受邀在此歡度6天假期
培尼亞是“貓王”的粉絲，2011年1月7日，他到“貓王”故居參觀。
磚房中的“英雄”
一年之後的今天，莉莉生活在一個工地上，過著簡單的生活；和所有礦工一樣，馬里奧·戈麥斯正準備用補償金修補下房子，添置一到兩個房間。當你來到智利科皮亞波，會看到一排排的單層磚房，而礦工們的家就在那些簡陋的房子中。只有走進去，你才能理解他們的生活到底有多艱苦。很多家庭中至少有五口人，但他們住的房子只有兩間。對他們很多人來說，儘管被描述成英雄，但生活依然是殘酷的。
由於房間太小，莉莉平時只好在廚房裡睡覺。不過有些出乎意料的是，在廚房邊竟然停著一輛嶄新的紅色川崎摩托車。這是摩托車廠為了表揚33名被埋礦工而給出的獎勵。仔細上前觀瞧，摩托車上顯示行駛路程為零。年過花甲的戈麥斯此前甚至都沒坐過摩托車，自打有了這輛摩托車後，他只騎過兩次，不過每次的速度都沒超過二檔。在車旁邊的架子上放著聖母瑪利亞的肖像，想當初在“希望營地”上，莉莉就是拿著這副畫像每日誠心祈禱。此外，屋子裡還排滿了各種有關33名被埋礦工的紀念圖標。
回顧過去一年來的種種，莉莉百感交集。她很感激很多人的幫助，把丈夫戈麥斯和其他被埋礦工從隧道裡救出來，但是，對她來說，與戈麥斯重新在一起生活又是不容易的。不僅對她，對其他礦工的家屬也一樣如此。
33名礦工中，很少有人能默默回到家里安安靜靜地過從前的日子，他們的生活完全被打亂了。這些礦工一直都是人們追逐和關注的焦點，他們受到各種各樣的稱讚，在全世界各地來回飛行。他們飛到洛杉磯，為“CNN英雄”拍攝紀錄片；緊接著，他們又應傳奇球星鮑比·查爾頓和智利葡萄酒公司的邀請，飛赴英超曼聯俱樂部所在的老克拉福德球場，接受全場7.5萬名觀眾的歡呼致敬；當他們出現在美國紐約或以色列特拉維夫的街頭時，很多人都能認出他們，每個人都想微笑著和他們合影留念，並想摸摸這些大難不死的礦工，以便沾染點“好運氣”；當某個匿名團體組織組團去曼徹斯特觀看脫衣舞表演時，帶頭人握著他們的手叫他們一起去，並承諾全程免費……33名礦工被成功救援的故事，就猶如暗夜裡的一束光，讓他們聞名於全球。
想當初，從被埋礦井回到家里後，作為政府提供的保險計劃的一部分，礦工們每週都要去接受檢查和治療。此外，在重新上班前，他們可以從政府那裡取得一部分收入。但是礦工們在全球的東奔西走，意味著不可能每週都會出席與政府的見面會，也不可能每週都去檢查。隨著時間的延續，智利政府威脅：如果你們不停止在全球的旅行，那麼我們將會撤銷一切治療和援助。
見過這幫礦工的人都會意識到，這麼長時間以來，根本沒人為他們制定重回正常生活的計劃，也沒人認真幫助他們徹底忘記那段揮之不去的陰影。礦工阿瑞爾說，他不需要任何治療；其他人也在抱怨，與政府每週一次的見面會毫無意義可言。通過與他們的交流，可以感覺到，沒人曾警告他們所受的外傷和精神性創傷都需要很長時間才能慢慢恢復。大部分時間，他們接受的治療都是短效的，只是讓他們吃些安睡或保持冷靜的藥片而已。
有些礦工只能彼此之間互相慰藉，他們在井下經歷過生死時刻，這讓彼此之間的感情甚至超越了家人。不過，也有人害怕見到這些曾經的戰友，畢竟有些人開始飛黃騰達，金錢和名利在他們面前擺起了一道難以逾越的鴻溝。這就是男人。
2011年2月27日，約旦河西岸，智利被救礦工在身上塗抹黑泥。他們攜妻帶子來到以色列朝聖，尋求精神上的庇護。
但無論何時，妻子們始終都陪伴在礦工們的身邊，和他們一起努力工作，試圖恢復風波之前那段歲月的靜謐。對她們來說，任何外來幫助都是很奢侈的。只是偶爾，在有人邀請丈夫出席活動時，也會順便帶上自己。婦女們曾集體去了迪斯尼樂園，而伊麗莎白還和女兒Esperanza一起隨同丈夫遠赴德國參加一檔電視節目的錄製。 “只有五分鐘，讓我的孩子出現在了電視上，問題很無趣。”伊麗莎白笑著說，她很疑惑為什麼電視台邀請他們千里迢迢來到德國，卻只錄了五分鐘的節目，實在有些得不償失。現在，她發誓再也不會做這種事情了。
伊麗莎白是一位安靜、溫和、細緻周到的女人，平日里她經常和孩子一起檢查自己房子的四周是不是有攝影師在偷拍，她很討厭這一切。隨著時間的推移，當礦工們的英雄外衣逐漸被脫下，而周圍鄰居的妒忌心卻在日益增強，要想重新回到正常生活是件非常難的事。鄰居們經常看到有記者和攝影師在礦工們的家門口遊蕩，這讓他們以為，被埋礦工和他們的家庭一定從這起驚動全球的事件中受益匪淺，他們甚至稱礦工們被困井底是“運氣足夠好”的表現。豈不知，在礦工家庭風光的外表和所謂的“獎勵”下，他們的生活比以前更加艱辛。
伊麗莎白痛苦地說：“至少對我來說，我寧願自己把這一切都忘得一干二淨。我只是希望我的丈夫能回到從前，我們過從前那種平靜的生活。”她說，現在丈夫阿瑞爾在晚上經常失眠。在新年的時候，阿瑞爾最後乾脆完全消失在智利南部的某個地方了，只留下伊麗莎白和兩個兒子、一個寶貝女兒在家中苦苦等待。幾天以後，阿瑞爾又神奇般地出現了。問他去了哪裡，阿瑞爾卻稱自己一點也不記得了。
當被問及她是否曾和阿瑞爾討論礦難帶給他們的變化時，伊麗莎白苦笑著搖了搖頭：“我不想再打擾他了。”她和丈夫有個約定，並已經開始付諸實施。在礦井下被埋時，礦工們曾把聖母瑪利亞當成守護神。現在他們平安出來了，今年二月恰逢科皮亞波舉行盛大的傳統慶祝活動，伊麗莎白和阿瑞爾就把女兒打扮成聖母瑪利亞的樣子，也算是還了一個心願吧。
並不是所有人都像阿瑞爾和伊麗莎白一樣寂寂無名。曾在礦井下扮演“貓王”的愛迪生·培尼亞早已是成名人物了，34歲的他將在井底樹立起來的藝人形象繼續延伸了下去。雖然在事故發生前培尼亞從來都沒有慢跑的習慣，但他被埋期間在隧道裡跑步的新聞傳遍了世界各地。自從營救成功後，培尼亞收到各種各樣的邀請，而他也在紐約和東京的馬拉松賽場上亮了相。當然，他是為了出場費才這麼做的。現在，他已經移民到智利首都聖地亞哥，並儘一切努力在觀眾面前露臉。
隨著培尼亞的走紅，他的妻子安吉利卡只能帶著4歲的孩子從科皮亞波遠走他鄉，以便跟上丈夫的步伐。她非常想知道，現在每天和自己朝夕相處的那個人，到底還是不是自己從前的丈夫。 “礦難給了我另一個培尼亞，他的本性和脾氣全部都留在了井底。”安吉利卡說。
安吉利卡經常試圖管理丈夫的日常活動和日期安排，想把唱歌變成培尼亞的一項正規職業。今年早些時候，夫婦倆出現在英國倫敦的O2中心，和他們一起的都是成功的商業人士。他們想利用這些機會建立一個屬於自己的窗口—但成本卻超出了想像。
可以肯定的是，礦難事件的發生讓培尼亞的生活發生了前所未有的改變，他想藉助這起事件讓自己躍入名流，不想反被其累，因為被埋礦井下的創傷始終沒有在他生命中抹去。平時，培尼亞經常在看比賽或喝醉酒時發瘋似的發洩自己的憤怒，而沒人知道他到底為什麼這樣；在和兄弟聚會的時候，他把身上所有的錢花個精光；即便是他的母親也都在懷疑，自己的兒子是不是應該到醫院檢查下。安吉利卡更是憂心忡忡：“如果上帝和魔鬼都在礦井下的話，我想是魔鬼附著在他身上了。”今年春天，她終於勸服丈夫來到禁毒所戒毒。和其他礦工的妻子們一樣，自始至終，安吉利卡從來都沒想過可以從政府那裡得到幫助，因為沒有人會把他們這群人當做是受害者。
從去年的驚天救援至今，全世界大多數人在感動的同時，還天經地義地以為這些被埋的英雄和他們的家屬過著幸福的生活。豈不知，政府答應給他們的保障收入早就取消了，他們不得不重新面對新的清貧生活。最讓人震驚的是，現在阿瑞爾·泰科納又重新回到礦場謀生，妻子伊麗莎白和孩子們在家裡整日提心吊膽。很多礦工家庭都面臨同樣的慘痛現實。接下來怎麼辦？他們要怎樣生存？在這個世界上，根本沒有巨額資金會為他們提供生活保障，而那些認為國際聲望可以為他們帶來大筆收入的想法，更是大錯特錯
現在，礦工的律師們正考慮將礦場主和智利政府告上法庭。莉莉說，雖然她感謝上帝讓丈夫戈麥斯活了下來，但整個救援過程根本就不是奇蹟。 “那是管理不善造成的。如果礦場主早點為那些替他們拼命幹活的人想想，如果他不僅僅是想賺更多的便士，如果他沒有讓工人在極其惡劣的條件下工作… …”由於全世界對礦工們現狀的不了解，法院對這樁案件的審理可能要持續一兩年左右。而在這段時間裡，礦工家屬們只好無奈地與創傷作鬥爭。
回想去年被埋井底時的場景，在那艱難的69天裡，很多礦工向自己或神靈保證，如果能活著出去，他們一定會變成完全不同的人，他們承諾自己會變成更好的丈夫、更好的父親。他們知道，一旦自己從鬼門關走過一遭，一定能更好地了解這個世界，更好地珍惜他們來之不易的生活。
事實證明，現實比想像複雜得多。對那些苦心等待礦工活著歸來的妻子和家屬來說，過去的幾個月簡直是在痛苦中度過。在地下2000英尺深的隧道裡，馬里奧·戈麥斯曾向莉莉承諾，他們將重新舉行一場盛大的婚禮。但一年以來，兩次約定的日期都匆匆而過，而當初盛大婚禮的承諾，卻始終沒有兌現。
http://www.nbweekly.com/news/world/201108/27067.aspx
Los 33: Chilean miners face up to a strange new world
The rescue of 33 miners from Chile's San José mine after 69 days trapped underground was a triumph shared with the whole world. But the transition back to normality is proving difficult for both the men and their families
Mario Gómez, the oldest man to be trapped underground, celebrates as he becomes the ninth to exit the rescue capsule, on 13 October 2010 at the San José mine near Copiapó, Chile. Photograph: Hugo Infante/Getty Images
'They are not heroes. We are not heroes. We are all victims," murmurs Lilly Ramírez, the uncompromising partner of Mario Gómez. At 63, he was the oldest of "the 33" Chilean miners who were trapped half a mile under the Chilean desert on 5 August 2010, and whose rescue became a global event for a TV audience of an estimated 1 billion people.
Ever since they emerged 69 days later on the night of 12/13 October, I have been working on two BBC documentaries: about what happened while the men were down the mine – and what has happened to them and their families since. Now, as the first anniversary approaches, it is the tenacity and the suffering of the women – the wives and partners – that emerges. They and their men were certainly victims but I am not sure Lilly is right: there are certainly heroines – from Lilly herself to the many other women who have struggled ever since to keep their families together. For their men emerged famous, but changed.
For Lilly, the beginning of the story that August night comes straight from the nightmares of miners' families the world over. She was preparing dinner as usual for Mario, one of their four daughters, Romina, and their one-year-old granddaughter Camila when there was the proverbial "knock on the door". A manager from the mine was standing there. Lilly remembers the man saying there had been an accident at the pit but that they were bringing in the required machinery and the men should be free by morning. "I told him that he could not fool me. I told him that I knew the terrible state of that mine and that if there had been a collapse there was no way the men would be out by morning."
She dropped everything and forced the manager to drive her for an hour to the pithead – little more than a big hole in the rocky hillside and a couple of cabins. She was to stay there in the middle of the Atacama desert, among the driest places on earth, for the next 69 days, only returning home when Mario had been rescued. By then he had been through a traumatic near-death experience but had also become among the most famous people on the planet. Today, Lilly and Mario are still struggling to understand what happened to him and to them.
The San José mine produced the usual mix of copper, gold and other minerals that makes the rock under the desert in northern Chile among the most valuable in the world. Both Lilly and Mario knew it was more dangerous than most – more than 100 years old, the mine comprised huge tunnels that had been driven down over half a mile into the mountainside. Eight miners had died there since 2000 and it had been closed briefly after an accident in 2007. The owners, the San Esteban mining company, paid a premium of 20% for people to work there. Mario was earning just that little bit more before retiring, but he never imagined the possibility of a collapse like this. "I knew the mine had its problems, but I never imagined that the main tunnel would collapse," he says.
When Lilly arrived at the mine that first evening, she found the first rescue teams emerging, having found no way through to the trapped men. "It was chaos. No one knew what was going on." The mine administrators on the surface were not even sure quite how many people had been trapped. Lilly knew from Mario's stories of the day-to-day inefficiencies of the mine that it was badly run: "I trusted no one." As soon as she arrived, she sensed that rescue teams might pull out, insisting that no more could be done.
She felt that if the managers were constantly cutting corners on safety, they would hardly commit easily to the possible costs of a full-scale rescue and all that might involve. Apocryphal stories of how miners are simply left to die after an accident are commonplace across Latin America. So Lilly and the other relatives who had made it to the mine "picked up sticks and bars", confronted the police and blocked the road. "We knew that if they [the rescuers] left, then it would all be over. So we begged the rescue teams not to abandon us, but to help us put pressure on the managers who were there."
The regional police chief, who was at the mine that first night, confirms this was the critical moment. Without the families' intervention he believes the miners might well have been left entombed after the failure of the first attempt to find a way through the main tunnel.
In all the backslapping triumph of the final rescue, the story of those first uncertain days tends to be forgotten. Few remember how Lilly and the other women managed to transform a local tragedy into a national event and so save their men. There was little good news in those first days. The next day rescue teams emerged saying a boulder the size of the Empire State Building had collapsed inside the mountain, taking down eight levels of the mine. And the mountain was still moving. They also said there was no way down the main tunnel and that the specially designed escape shafts, supposed to work in such an eventuality, were either blocked or had collapsed.
Lilly was having none of such defeatism. She remembers: "The authorities up there tried to kick us out. They told us that the children would get sick, that they should be at school… That we had no business up at the mine… That we were getting in the way." By now, most of the Gómez family had turned up – as had many of the other relatives, camped out beside the mine, setting up what would later be known all over the world as Camp Hope.
Lilly's voice turns scornful at the patronising tone taken towards them by the very male world of mining. It is an environment where men know best, and women aren't allowed to enter a mine for fear of bringing bad luck.
Looking at the images of those first days, it is astonishing to see these desperate women exploit the power of the media, first on local TV. "We called on the president of Chile not to allow our men to be abandoned," remembers Lilly. "We appealed to him as a father, as a family man, saying how he should put himself in our shoes." The women's raw emotion found an audience.
They were lucky. The government had been heavily criticised for its handling of an earthquake and tsunami six months previously. The new business-driven president, Sebastián Piñera, was also perceived as aloof and indifferent to the common worker. Faced with these appeals, the mining minister, Laurence Golborne, was dispatched to the scene. Recalls Elvira "Katty" Valdivia, wife of one of the trapped men, Mario Sepúlveda: "We realised more and more journalists were turning up… so if we were unhappy we almost ate the minister and went out and held a press conference. The press realised we were doing their work for them – holding the government to task." Certainly Golborne was responsible for the government taking over the rescue and saying that no expense would be spared in trying to find the trapped men. His transformation from villain – the minister responsible for the regulatory system that allowed the mine to function and that employed just three inspectors for 884 mines in the region – into smiling, smooth, English-speaking global TV star over the following 69 days was one of the minor miracles of the whole story.
The first 17 days were the worst for the families: the days and nights when no one knew if any of the miners were even alive. As one of those trapped underground says: "At least we knew we were alive but might die. For our families there was the torment of not knowing." Elvira talks of never sleeping and not knowing what to tell her children. She was never certain that she was not simply waiting to pick up the body of her husband.
For Lilly, the period remains a blur. "I barely slept or ate. It was like I was punishing myself. It is wrong if I eat and he's not eating." Days of optimism were followed by failure when probes broke or were driven off course by the rock. Lilly says she never doubted Mario was alive. She sensed him next to her. "I know that sounds mad but I felt him with me as I lay down. I felt his breath." She was sure that at least some of them were alive somewhere beneath the desert floor. But would the rescuers get to them in time?
Every day counted – and so every day the families, on a roller-coaster of hope and despair, kept the pressure on the rescuers via the national Chilean media for whom this had become a daily story. It is easy to forget that it only became a major international story after the miners had been discovered.
Researching our film 17 Days Buried Alive, it has become clear quite how inaccurate the company's maps were and how the drilling was a little "like looking for a needle in a haystack", a small bunker half a mile down through sheer rock. When, on day 14, the major probe found nothing, Lilly remembers a sense of panic. The authorities had prevented any attempts to explore for ways down via the main tunnel after further collapses on day three, but now the families had found freelance miners (so-called "pirquineros") who were willing to try to find a way through. The government stood firm, not wanting further accidents; the families, led by Lilly, appealed to the media, clearly losing trust in the experts. Fortunately they never had to force the issue.
The miracle, when it came on day 17, when the rescuers heard the probe being hit and so knew someone was alive, was that all 33 were alive and uninjured. You cannot find Lilly on camera during the scenes of jubilation that followed their discovery. As the beaming president read out the note that was attached by the miners to the drillhead ("We are fine in the refuge – the 33"), Lilly is nowhere to be seen. "I remember I stood up to scream out of euphoria… and I fainted. I was out for eight minutes… Then I didn't go out to celebrate, I went to the statue of the Virgin, I started to cry, telling her I knew she would not fail me."
That was the moment a national news story was turned into a global celebration as the international media descended on the mine. As the rescuers fashioned an escape hole and a capsule to bring the miners out, the appetite for rolling news became overwhelming. Everything was public. Mario Gómez proposed a church marriage to Lilly. Then there was Yonni Barrios, who had both mistress and wife turning up to claim their piece of his "fame". (Yonni has ended up with the mistress.) There was also the showman, Edison Peña, who did Elvis Presley impersonations and went running through the underground tunnels, and whose fame was ensured when the photos were published all over the world.
On the surface the pithead was turning into a small town of Winnebagos, satellite dishes and TV presenters. In the absence of any real story as the drills did their noisy business, the families became the stars. Their every move in Camp Hope was followed by hordes of cameras looking for an "exclusive" bit of emotion for the next report home to Tokyo, Moscow or London.
Elizabeth Segovia was due to give birth to her third child when the disaster struck. She remembers how when the media discovered this, all privacy was washed away. Sitting in her little one-room living space, her face creases with distaste: "They even walked into the house without asking." Then there was footage of her husband Ariel Ticona, still down the mine, telling her that his new friends, the other trapped miners, had decided that the baby would be called Esperanza, or "Hope".
Elizabeth suddenly found herself carrying a symbol. So with her husband still underground in September, she was filmed on the gurney on the way to deliver and asked: "How do you feel?" The same question was repeated when she was brought out clutching her publicly named baby, Esperanza. Their lives were no longer their own.
Days later their men emerged to a watching planet. The Chilean president was there with his wife, smiling broadly. Clearly, the £12m price tag for the rescue was money well spent – almost a public relations coup for the skill and ingenuity of the Chilean mining industry. A disaster had been turned into a good news story and a triumph.
And the world did not simply move on. Invitations from all over came flooding in to the men, most of whom did not have a passport. Then there was talk of possible Hollywood deals. Was it Leonardo or Brad, Angelina or Penélope who would play Ariel and Elizabeth in the movie?
Now, a year on, talk of movie millions has receded. Lilly lives on a building site. Like many of the miners, Mario is using what money has come their way to extend their house by a room or two. When you turn up at their home among the one-storey breeze-block houses that make up most of the mining town of Copiapó it is a salutary reminder of quite how modest their lives were and are: most live with families of five or more in two-bedroom houses. For some the money has meant running water on tap for the first time.
Somewhat surreally, Lilly is perched in her kitchen next to a shiny red Kawasaki motorbike – the fulfilment of a promise by the manufacturers to all the miners. There are virtually no miles on the clock; 63-year-old Mario had never been on a motorbike before. He has apparently used it twice but never been out of second gear. On a shelf is the icon of the Virgin Mary that Lilly had with her at Camp Hope, along with all sorts of "33" memorabilia.
Lilly reflects on the past year with mixed feelings. She is of course deeply grateful that Mario and his fellow miners were extracted via the extraordinary rocket-like cage the experts designed. She is also touchingly conscious of the pain suffered by the widows of the New Zealand mining disaster, in November last year. Somehow the miracle at San José made the tragedy at Pike River seem all the more painful. At the same time, in her worst moments she wonders whether all her sacrifice last summer was worth it.
Life with Mario is not easy. Few of the men have returned unmarked to their former lives. It has been a hugely upsetting process. Understandably, the men have been the centre of attention. They were lauded and flown around the world. They were filmed in Los Angeles as the "CNN Heroes" or introduced as celebrities to 75,000 spectators at Old Trafford at the invitation of Bobby Charlton and a Chilean wine company. When recognised on the streets of New York or Tel Aviv, everyone wants smiles and photos, a touch "for luck" – a bit of them. When a group (who shall remain nameless) wanted to go to a lap dancing club in Manchester, the bouncers shook their hands and waved them in for free. The story of their rescue is like a ray of light in a dark and difficult world.
Back home, the men have received weekly therapy as part of a government insurance scheme that covers their incomes until they are able to go back to work. But their global travels have meant patchy attendance – and pretty quickly, the authorities were threatening to withdraw the therapy if they continued to go abroad and miss sessions. Meeting the miners, you sense that there has been no coherent strategy to help them find their way back to any sort of normality, no serious attempt to help them through their extraordinary experience. Ariel says he does not need any therapy; others complain that the meetings are pointless and lead nowhere. You sense they have not been told in any coherent way the long-term nature of the trauma they may have suffered and the type of treatment that may require. They were, after all, trapped underground for longer than any other recorded group of men. Certainly in many cases the therapy has combined with much shorter-term solutions: astonishing levels of medication – pills to let them sleep, pills to keep them calm when awake.
Some of the men find solace with one another. The bonds of friendship and solidarity they forged down the mine are now stronger than those with their own families. Others refuse to see one another at all – jealousy over who is appearing where, appearance money and fame have driven them apart. That is the men.
Their wives and partners have to live with them, desperately trying to work out how to cope with quiet lives blown apart. For them, of course, there has been no help on offer. Occasionally the invitations include the families: they all went to Disneyland. Elizabeth with baby Esperanza has been approached. She and Ariel took the baby to Germany for a brief but paid studio appearance: "Five minutes. Show the baby… No interesting questions." Elizabeth smiles, puzzled at all the effort to get them thousands of miles to Europe for so little return. Now she has sworn there will be no more trips.
A quiet, modest and thoughtful woman, Elizabeth still checks with her kids if there are any photographers hanging around outside their house. You can tell she hates it all. Returning to normal life has been made more difficult because, once the hero status wore off, local jealousy set in. Neighbours see the cameras and journalists coming back again and again. The trauma of what really happened last year to both Ariel and his wife are now distant memories – and those living nearby only see the glamour and the supposed rewards. It is as if the neighbours wish they too had been "lucky enough" to be trapped down the mine.
Elizabeth is clear: "They ask in order to know how you feel; but what we want is to forget all of this. At least for me, I'd rather forget everything. I want no more. I just want my husband back… I want the life we had before."
She describes how Ariel does not sleep properly. At New Year he simply disappeared to the south of the country at the last moment, leaving Elizabeth at home with their two young boys and a baby girl. There were no explanations. He returned a few days later, uncertain about why he had gone. Elizabeth smiles sadly and shakes her head when asked if she and Ariel have discussed what happened to him down the mine. "I don't want to disturb him more." They have a joint faith that holds them together and in February he fulfilled a promise he had made down the mine and they presented the baby to the Virgin Mary, patron saint of miners, during the annual week of celebrations in Copiapó.
A couple of the miners have grabbed their 15 minutes of fame and run with it. The Elvis Presley impersonator, Edison Peña, 34, has followed through on the showman image he built up down the mine. Though no more than an irregular jogger before the accident, the images of him "running the tunnels" have resulted in invitations and appearance fees to compete in both the New York and Tokyo marathons since coming out. He moved to the capital, Santiago, and has made appearances wherever possible. His lifelong passion for Elvis Presley resulted in what he called "his trip of a lifetime" to Graceland and performances of "Blue Suede Shoes" on Italian and German TV. Though uncertain of the exact words, his sheer bravura and showmanship make him a star turn.
His partner, Angélica, and her four-year-old child have had their life in Copiapó uprooted to try to keep up with him. She struggles to understand quite who she is now living with. She says: "The mine has given me another Edison. His nature and his principles were all left down there."
She attempts to manage his dates and to focus his activities – trying to turn the singing into a possible career in motivational speaking. They performed successfully together to business people at a packed conference in the O2 centre in London earlier in the year. Both are aware there is a small window of time to establish themselves – but the cost has been high.
It is a constant struggle as Edison veers between a rational understanding of what is going on and the darkness he clearly experienced down the mine. There is an underlying anger in him that occasionally explodes in shouting matches and drunken binges. He has frittered much of the money away partying with his brother. Even his mother wonders whether her son should not be hospitalised. Angélica is bitter: "If both God and the devil were down that mine, I think that probably the devil took him." This spring Angélica persuaded him to go into detox. She – as with the other women I have met – has not once had any offer of support or help from the authorities. No one thought that they might be victims, too.
Last autumn, the world enjoyed a good news story and moved on, vaguely expecting that these new celebrities were now made for life – the least they could expect for the experience they went through. Edison the runner has earned and spent a good deal of money. Mario Sepúlveda and a couple of others are forging a living as motivational speakers for international corporations. But the majority are now back home, the government's income guarantees beginning to run out, and facing life again.
It is shocking to think that Ariel Ticona has gone back to the mines to earn a living – to the resigned horror of Elizabeth and their children. Many others are faced with the same reality. What next? How to survive? There is no huge fund set up to keep them in clover for the rest of their lives. Those who thought that international fame meant millions have been proved very wrong.
Of course, lawyers for the miners are taking both the owners of the mine and the government to court. Lilly Ramírez is resolutely clear that lessons must be learned. While she thanks God that Mario emerged alive, this is not a story about miracles. "This was bad management," she says. "If only the owners thought about the men who worked for them and not just earning a few more pennies, leaving people working in terrible conditions…" But as with corporate negligence cases the world over, judgments will be a matter of years, if they are lucky.
Meanwhile the families are left to cope with that underlying trauma. Down at the bottom of the mine for those 69 days last year these men faced themselves and their humanity in ways that we can barely imagine. Many promised themselves, and often God, that they would be totally different people if only they could emerge alive. They promised they would be better husbands and fathers, better people. No doubt they meant it. Stuck in the belly of the earth, they thought they understood the world and their lives in a different light.
Reality has proved so much more complex. And for the wives and partners who waited for them the past months have proved equally painful. From 2,000 feet down, Mario promised Lilly that they would get married. Two wedding dates have come and gone. The promise remains unfulfilled.
Interviews by Miguel Sofia and Alexander Houghton
Angus Macqueen's documentary 17 Days Buried Alive will be broadcast on BBC2 on 12 August at 9pm
FROM DISASTER TO TRIUMPH: How events unfolded
5 August 2010: 33 miners trapped after a collapse at the San José gold and copper mine in the Atacama desert in northern Chile. It is not known whether any of them are alive.
6 August: Laurence Golborne, Chile's mining minister, cuts short a visit to Ecuador to lead the rescue mission.
7 August: A second collapse blocks access to the lower parts of the mine, making any chance of a rescue through the mine itself impossible.
10 August: The first probes are sent down through the rock in an attempt to reach the shelter where experts hoped they would find at least some of the 33 still alive.
22 August: 17 days after the accident, rescuers hear tapping noises on one of their probes – the first sign of life. When it is brought back to the surface, there is a note attached saying: "Estamos bien en el refugio los 33" – "We are fine in the refuge, the 33".
23 August: The international media descend on "Camp Hope" to hear President Piñera declare: "It will take months to get them out. It will take time, but it doesn't matter how long it takes to have a happy ending." Food and water are sent down to the miners.
27 August: The miners send a video up to the surface, which gives a guided tour of the shelter and shows them playing dominoes.
30 August: Drilling begins on the pilot hole for Plan A, the first of three rescue plans, aiming for the shelter housing the miners.
8 September: The miners watch a football match between Chile and Ukraine on a miniature projector that has been sent down to them.
14 September: Trapped miner Ariel Ticona's wife, Elizabeth, gives birth to baby girl. He sends a message asking for her to be called Esperanza – Spanish for "hope".
17 September: The pilot hole for Plan B, which is aiming for the workshop a few hundred metres from the shelter, is completed.
19 September: The process of widening the Plan B pilot hole begins to create a space big enough for a rescue capsule. The miners work in shifts to clear the debris.
24 September: The miners have now been trapped 50 days underground, longer than anyone else in history.
29 September: Mayor Brunilda Gonzalez announces the intention of 27 families of the trapped miners to sue the Chilean government for at least $27m.
9 October: The Plan B drill breaks through to the miners' workshop six weeks after drilling began.
12 October: Rescuers go down the escape shaft to begin evacuation of the miners using a special capsule designed by the Chilean navy.
13 October: 69 days after the accident the first miner, Florencio Avalos, emerges just after midnight to an estimated TV audience of 1.5 billion.
Jessica Hopkins
