<P> The 2010 Copiapó mining accident began as a cave - in on 5 August 2010 at the San José copper - gold mine in the Atacama Desert near Copiapó, Chile . The accident trapped 33 men 700 meters (2,300 ft) underground who survived for a record 69 days . All were rescued and brought to the surface on 13 October 2010 over a period of almost 24 hours . After the last trapped miner was winched to the surface, the rescue workers still underground held up a sign before the camera stating "Misión cumplida Chile" (English: "Mission accomplished Chile") to the estimated more than 1 billion people watching the rescue on live television around the world . </P> <P> The San José Mine is about 45 kilometers (28 mi) north of Copiapó, in northern Chile . The miners were trapped approximately 5 kilometers (3 mi) from the mine entrance . The mine had a history of instability that had led to previous accidents, including one death . </P>

How many chilean miners were trapped in the mine