Stream of the Day
‘Chilean mine rescue’ retraces 69 days underground
A new documentary reconstructs the 2010 San José mine collapse through recordings and firsthand accounts, writes JASON BANNIER.
Sixteen years ago, a mine collapse trapped workers beneath Chile’s Atacama Desert. For 17 days, nobody above ground knew whether the men had survived. Now, a new documentary, Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time, retraces the ordeal.
All three episodes air back-to-back on National Geographic today (28 September 2026) from 20:30 CAT, on DStv channel 181 and StarTimes channel 220. The series is also streaming on Disney+.
The 33 workers were sealed nearly half a mile underground when Chile’s San José copper-gold mine collapsed on 5 August 2010. After rescuers established contact, the men remained trapped for another 52 days. The documentary includes recordings made below ground by the workers.
The account moves from the collapse and initial search through the delivery of supplies and the technical effort to create an escape route. Interviews with miners, relatives and rescuers document the decisions made below ground and at the rescue site.
Six miners make their first appearances in an international documentary. Former ABC international correspondent Jeff Kofman, the first international journalist to reach the scene, recalls reporting on an operation followed around the world.
The final episode covers the return of all 33 miners to the surface and the period that followed. Rather than ending with the televised rescue, the series examines how public attention affected the men after their 69-day ordeal.
Chloe Campbell and James Parris direct the series, with Luke Sewell serving as series editor. Blast Films produces for National Geographic as part of the Race Against Time documentary franchise.
* Watch the trailer for ‘Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time’ here.
* Jason Bannier is a data analyst at World Wide Worx and deputy editor of Gadget.co.za. Follow him on Bluesky at @jas2bann.
