Rescued Chilean miners struggle in the cold light of day

The plight of the 33 Chilean miners entombed 2,300ft below ground may be about to be turned into a big-screen movie.But a year on from the start of their ordeal at the San Jose Mine, what has become of the men many expected to become millionaires?

As Chilean president Sebastian Pinera prepares to oversee anniversary celebrations at the mine, the remarkable unity that appeared to have bonded the miners during their subterranean nightmare has seemingly dissolved.

Despite being treated like celebrities in the wake of their release after 69 days last October, the reality for many of them has been grimly deflating. Nearly half the men have been unemployed since the collapse of the gold and copper mine, with another four already returning to their old jobs for financial reasons and more than half of those who were trapped are believed to be keen to mine again.

While very few of the miners are thought to have earned anything from their fame - apart from an initial $17,000 (10,400) windfall from donations - all but two of the group are involved in separate multi-million dollar lawsuits against the bankrupt mine's owners and the government for failing to enforce strict safety regulations.

The men, who were winched from the mine individually through a specially-drilled bore hole, later admitted to thoughts of mass suicide and even cannibalism during their ordeal. They were trapped underground for a fortnight in the mine at Copiapo, beneath the Atacama desert, before they were able to detect any sign of contact from the surface.

But only some of the men plan to join their president at the mine for an anniversary mass service today.

They are still waiting for him to deliver on a promised lifelong pension of around $430 a month. Many have got by until now on the philanthropy of an eccentric millionaire and Chilean mine owner, Leonardo Farkas, who wrote them individual cheques, threw them a lavish party and gave each a motorcycle.

Just one of the miners, the flamboyant Mario Sepulveda, who became the face of the miners' ordeal when he appeared on the camera sent down from the surface, is thought to have managed to live well off the fame, forming a business consulting service and hiring a US publicist to help arrange overseas trips.

But he said: "It's not true what they say, that we have made lots of money.Many of the miners are not in a good situation, they have lots of difficulties. All these people promised us many things in the moment.

"The majority have health problems and it is going to be very difficult for them to return to work."

Jorge Galleguillos, 57, secretary of the miners' committee, said: "Many thought that with fame would come a lot of money, but it's not true. We have lots of expenses and our income is very small."

It is thought 15 of the men are unemployed, with seven regularly giving motivational speeches, three working in fruit and vegetable street stalls, two running grocery stores and four working in the mines.

Edison Pena, who famously kept the miners' spirits up with Elvis singalongs, and kept fit by running several miles every day, has found his fame marred by binge drinking, family rows and reports he has squandered any cash he has earned.

He recently spoke of his struggle to adjust to the fame. His wife said their life "is as dark as the mine was".

In all, 14 of the men have applied for early retirement on the grounds of ill health.

Yonni Barrios, whose wife and long-time mistress both turned up at the mine to vie for his affection, is one of three men diagnosed with the incurable lung disease silicosis, caused by inhaling the crystalline silica dust present in most mines.

"I try not to think about it, because worrying can make the condition worse," he said. "It's a progressive disease. With luck I might be able to make it to retirement age. And then die."

Shift foreman Luis Urzua, who kept the men unified when nearly all hope was lost, said he was saddened by critics of the miners' lawsuits, who say they should simply be grateful they were rescued.

"We're very content, very grateful to the government and the president for what they did. We filed this lawsuit so that people understand that everyone has the right to sue when things aren't being done correctly."

MR Urzua, who is among the unemployed miners, is among a group of the men who have signed up to give motivational speeches, and credited a university professor, Ricardo Munoz, for helping them polish their deliveries. He added: "He's one of the few who is working with us without trying to profit from it. There are a lot of people who have made off handsomely."

The miners were celebrated as heroes for surviving so long in the dark, hot, damp depths of a mountain weakened by more than a century of mining, with tonnes of rock above them constantly shifting and threatening to bury them forever.

Before anyone knew that they had survived the collapse of the mine, the 33 stretched a small store of emergency food for 17 days, eating tiny capfuls of tuna fish and drinking sips of outdated milk.

Mr Pinera staked his presidency on their rescue, forming an expert team and rushing to the scene, offering any resources necessary to bring them out alive.When they were finally pulled out, watched by around a billion TV viewers around the world, the president too was hailed a hero.

But since his spell in the spotlight last autumn, the president has been beset by strikes and other social unrest.

In Copiapo today he is likely to face the other 240 other San Jose Mine workers who escaped the collapse only to lose their jobs when the mine closed. Many are still unemployed and have only received 40 per cent of their severances.

The government has resisted calls to make payments on behalf of the bankrupt mining company, fearful of setting a precedent that could sap profits from the entire industry, Chile's main revenue source.

But the state-owned National Mining Company did lend $1.2 million this week to pay the mine owners' debts to the workers.

However, only 19 of the 33 rescued men would see some of this money, with the others working for contractors.