Love Triangles Make Things Even Worse For Chilean Miners

As though the Chilean miners trapped underground for weeks needed more to worry about, their personal lives just got complicated — apparently their wives and mistresses are fighting it out on the surface.

The 33 miners have been trapped since Aug. 6, and a dangerous rescue effort may take until Christmas. Rescue workers on the surface are able to communicate with them and send them food, but there’s trouble above ground too: according to the Telegraph, the miners’ wives and girlfriends are fighting over who gets government support while the men are trapped. Back on the surface, these dudes were apparently busy — one guy has four ladies fighting over him. Says Red Cross worker Marta Flores, “There has been a lot of conflict between women. […] We had a big bust up in the canteen tent when a wife came across a woman who claimed to be her husband’s lover – we had to step in and pull them apart before things got physical.”

Psychologists working with the miners are apparently trying to hide the fighting from them in an effort to keep them calm (presumably the Telegraph isn’t among the items being sent down to them). However, UPI reports that some officials are saying each miner may have to designate a single financial beneficiary in order to get the women to stop fighting. Those hoping for big payouts may be out of luck, though: the mining company is apparently mulling a bankruptcy filing to avoid paying compensation. Flores says not everyone is involved in the bickering: “Those that truly love their men have slipped away quietly not wanting to cause any more pain to the families but others are putting up a fight.” I don’t know, though — if I had to meet my husband’s mistress because he was trapped underground until Christmas, I might be pissed too.

Mistresses And Wives Clash Over Trapped Chilean Miners [Telegraph, via Newser]
Trapped Chilean Miners: Rescue Plan Speeds Up As Health Fears Grow [Guardian]
NASA Experts Caution Crews On Chilean Miners’ Rescue [UPI.com]