On 5 August 2010, all 33 of the day shift miners at the San Jose mine in Chile were missing and feared killed when their copper and gold mine collapsed. For 17 days no one knew whether they were alive or dead.

Miraculously, after all hope was lost, on the 17th day the specialist drilling rigs looking for signs of life smashed through into the tunnel where the men had been clinging on. All 33 of the men were alive and well.

Channel 4 were given unprecedented access to the drilling rigs, engineers and medics for the definitive story of how this audacious rescue was carried out.

Buried Alive: The Chilean Mine Rescue follows the extraordinary story of the 33 miners, trapped underground for 70 days. Above ground, the Channel 4 film makers had unique access to document the highs and lows of the drilling teams as they pounded their way through almost half a mile of granite.

Below ground the programme follows how the miners survived for so long and hears first hand from the doctors and psychologists who were keeping them alive and sane, giving extraordinary insight into the underground hell they had to endure.

The rescue of all 33 Chilean miners has been an extraordinary feat of ingenuity and daring. This documentary explains in detail the challenges they faced and the technology they used to overcome all odds.

Buried Alive: The Chilean Mine Rescue gains unique access to the key players involved to tell the story of the tireless, tough and emotional effort that went on at the San Jose Mine, away from the glare of the news cameras.