In pictures: The famous 33

Al Jazeera Correspondent - Chile miners gallery

The mine in Chile(***)s Atacama desert first opened in 1840 and the collapse brought the mine(***)s checkered safety record into focus [Al Jazeera]

There have been accusations that the mine(***)s owners as well as safety authorities ignored signs that a cave-in was imminent and allowed the men to continue working [Al Jazeera]

For 17 days after the mine collapsed, nobody knew if the miners were dead or alive [EPA]

Rescue workers were desperately drilling bore holes to locate survivors [EPA]

Unbeknown to those on the outside, the miners found refuge in an emergency shelter and survived by strictly rationing their food and water [EPA]

Finally a drill broke through the shelter(***)s ceiling and a probe followed [EPA]

After receiving a handwritten note with the message "All 33 of us are fine in the shelter", Sebastian Pinera, the Chilean president, announced the rescue operation [EPA]

A second note from Mario Gomez explained to his wife that the men were confident rescuers would prevail: "We are going to get out with God(***)s help." [EPA]

Family and friends of the trapped miners camped out on an arid, rocky hillside near the mine, in a tent settlement dubbed "Camp Hope" [EPA]

After two months, rescue teams lifted the miners to the surface one by one in a narrow, missile-like capsule, nicknamed Phoenix [EPA]

It took roughly 16 minutes for each miner to be pulled up the shaft, although it was originally estimated that the journey would take half an hour [EPA]

The miners were checked by waiting doctors and flown to a triage centre for at least two days of check-ups [EPA]

After more than two months underground, all 33 miners were rescued from the collapsed copper mine to the excitement and relief of waiting family and friends [EPA]

From the mine to the Chilean capital, Santiago, and across the world, the unprecedented successful rescue operation prompted intense international media attention [EPA]

More than 800 journalists and cameramen gathered at the site to witness the rescue [EPA]

Chile(***)s president said that the San Jose mine would close forever, vowing to create safer conditions for those in the country(***)s biggest industry [EPA]

Pinera also said he would triple the budget of the mine safety agency Sernageomin, and created a commission to investigate the accident and recommend changes [EPA]

Mining provides more than 50 per cent of Chile(***)s export earnings, most of which comes from copper mining [Al Jazeera]

Despite advances in technology, mining remains a dangerous profession in the smaller mines in northern Chile, which employ about 10,000 people [Al Jazeera]

Since 2000, about 34 people have died every year on average in mining accidents in Chile [EPA]

For the 33 miners fame came after the rescue and since then they have enjoyed all expenses paid trips to several destinations [EPA]

AJE correspondent - Chile miners gallery

They were invited as the honoured guests of top European football clubs [EPA]

And the miners and their families went on an eight-day pilgrimage courtesy of the Israeli tourism ministry [EPA]

Some of the Chilean miners and their families visited Greece at the invitation of a Greek mining company [EPA]

Toys referring to the 33 Chilean miners are sold in a Chilean chain of supermarkets [EPA]

They were declared heroes by world leaders and the global media [EPA]

But some of the miners say celebrity has not been what they expected [EPA]

Al Jazeera(***)s Lucia Newman returned to Copiapo to see how the rescued miners have been coping since the media left [Al Jazeera]

She discovered that the majority of the miners are still struggling to cope and that many of them are now unemployed [EPA]

Seven of the miners are still receiving psychological help, and many more say they, too, are not well [EPA]

Most of them are afraid to go back into mines, although they still identify as miners [Al Jazeera]

The movie rights have been sold, but fame has not brought the fortune they expected [EPA]