Chile

Rescued Miner Emerges to Mistress

After his wife chooses not to meet him.

All 33 of the miners trapped in a Chilean mine for weeks had to have courage to survive, but only one needed it to be rescued as well. Yonni Barrios asked both his wife and mistress to greet him at his rescue. Barrios served as the underground doctor for the miners, drawing on his experience taking care of his diabetic mom to help diagnose the trapped men. But as the weeks progressed, it became clear that both his wife and his girlfriend were waiting for him at Camp Hope. Barrios’ wife of 28 years, Marta Salinas, and his mistress of several years, Susana Valenzuela, 50, almost fought in the dining area. Eventually, Barrios told the rescue team to deal primarily with Valenzuela, and on the day of his rescue, his wife declined to meet him. She later said it was the right decision. Valenzuela greeted Barrios with tears and held his face, then the pair hugged for a long time.