Canaries no longer in coal mines for a reason. The threat of poisonous gas leakages, explosions and collapsing shafts has lessened in recent decades as the industry, led by multinational companies, has improved safety.
For that reason some mining industry professionals have seen the story of the Chilean miners’ rescue as something more sobering than a display of human perseverance. They have queried how a Chilean mining company could have allowed the type of shaft collapse common in the 19th century.
“To have that kind of collapse is very unusual,” said one executive at a multinational company that preferred not to be named amid the jubilation in Chile.