Chile: Miner who survived 69 days underground in 2010 loses home in floods
Tragedy has struck again for Victor Zamora, one of the 33 miners who in 2010 was rescued after spending a record 69 days in the humid bowels of a collapsed mine, who lost his home in floods in northern Chile.
Zamora's house, located in the town of Tierra Amarillo, was ravaged by floods which have so far claimed the lives of nine people in the region of Atacama and Antofagasta.
It was washed away at the end of March, together with the homes of other residents of Tierra Amarilla, a small mining town near the city of Copiapo, located 497 miles north of capital Santiago.
Despite living through a dramatic story of survival, Zamora has never found a permanent job and lives only on a small government pension. He has now lost all of his belongings.
"At the moment, I have lost everything I ever had. With what I had, we paid bills and will now try to see how to go on with our lives," Zamora said.
Zamora was trapped with another 32 other miners on 5 August 2010, when a landslide covered access to the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile's northern Atacama desert.
Footage showed the extent of damage to Zamora's property and the town. His car has also been ruined in the floods. He said he now has to move on.
"And so you just have to start moving on and tell people do not stop helping because there are still many people who need it. There are still some people who are trying to remove mud from their homes and hopefully people don't forget about this, as they have done in other parts," Zamora said.
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