The last of 33 miners trapped in a Chilean mine for a record-setting 69 days were pulled to the surface on October 13, 2010.

Their ordeal started on August 5 when the upper galleries of the San Jose copper and gold mine, 1000km north of the capital Santiago, collapsed, leaving them stranded 690 metres underground.

The 33 men moved to an emergency shelter, where they found two days’ worth of food and water.

On August 5, 2010, 33 miners became trapped when Chile’s San Jose mine collapsed. Over the next 69 days, the world watched and waited until all were brought to safety. (CNN)

But they had no means of communicating with the surface, and were unsure if authorities even knew of the mine collapse.

In fact, 130 emergency workers had been mobilised to rescue the trapped miners, but hopes of finding them quickly were dashed when another cave-in blocked the rescue team’s path.

Meanwhile, the stranded men had to overcome hunger, boredom and sapping humidity in their refuge until help arrived.

To maintain a sense of order, they formed a mini society. The men took on roles that included a priest, a doctor, a poet a TV presenter and a foreman.

They also established a series of jobs and routines to keep up their morale.

Families of the 33 trapped miners refused to give up hope for their rescue during the 69-day ordeal.. (CNN)

But hunger proved the biggest test. One survivor, Richard Villaroel, later told the Guardian newspaper about the horrific conditions.

“We were waiting for death. We were consuming ourselves … we were so skinny,” he said.

“We were getting eaten up, as we were working. We were moving, but not eating well. We started to eat ourselves up and get skinnier and skinnier. That is called cannibalism, a sailor down there said. My body was eating itself up.”

For weeks, the group rationed one can of tuna between the 33 men, supplemented by a biscuit and a mouthful of water. The meagre single meal was doled out every 48 hours to conserve supply.

Rescuers later sent down a probe that could send down more food and water as well as messages from loved ones.

Thousands gathered at the mine to watch the miners’ rescue, while a global television audience of 1 billion people followed the event. (CNN)

But it was weeks before authorities were able to build a missile-like escape capsule that could pull the miners to freedom.

Every one of the 33 men made the claustrophobic solo 15-minute journey to the surface, where they were greeted by euphoric crowds.

More than 1 billion people across the world followed their rescue, making it one of the most-watched television events in history.