Nation divided by quake unites for trapped miners

August 29, 2010 at 12:00a.m.

Associated Press

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile

Just six months ago, one of the largest earthquakes in a century tore Chile apart, physically ripping the ground, triggering a deadly tsunami and leaving in the wreckage a divided society and government trying to decide whom to blame.

Now, with Chile confronting a new disaster — 33 men trapped alive in a mine below the Atacama Desert since Aug. 5 — the nation is unified by the drama playing out in slow motion.

This time, Chileans are less interested in the blame game and more concentrated on getting the men out of the ground alive.

Chile’s navy and emergency management office were criticized after the quake for failing to issue an alert that might have saved hundreds from the tsunami that caused the quake’s largest death toll.

Chileans also were angered by a massive wave of looting, as thousands of people took everything from mattresses to refrigerators and flat-screen TVs. Then-President Michelle Bachelet said it reflected “the moral damage of the people” in a nation that considers itself by far the most advanced in Latin America.

Many see the united effort and support for the miners as a way to demonstrate the better side of Chileans in the face of adversity.