More than two decades from the tragedy in mine 5, the carboniferous basin turned the torches of memory again. But the fire of the claim is still alive: there are no guilty convicted, and the wound still bleeds. The tribute to the 14 miners was not only an act of memory, but of complaint.
This Friday night, as every year, Río Turbio did not forget. The community met in the roundabout of the “MONUMENT TO THE MEMORY OF THE MINERS” to honor the 14 workers who died in the tragedy of mine 5, that June 14, 2004. The traditional torch ignition and the vigil marked, once again, the beginning of a day of deep memory and pain.
The authorities present – the mayors Darío Menna (Río Turbio), Aldo Arabena (November 28), Pablo Grasso (Río Gallegos), and the Minister of Government, Nicolás Brizuela – led the act, but the strongest voice was that of family, friends and colleagues of the deceased miners. The same that, 21 years old, continues to shout for justice.
The names of José Luis Armella, José Hernández, José Sixto Díaz Alvarado, Julio Néstor Álvarez, Jorge Eduardo Vallejo, Ricardo Guillermo Cabrera, José Chávez, Miguel Antonio Cardozo, Odilón Vedia, Víctor Agado Hernández, Nicolás Esteban Arancibia, Oscar Marchan, Héctor César Rebollo and Silverio Méndez returned to be pronounced. accompanied by the ignition of torches and the sound of the sirens. Once again, they were paid tribute, but also claimed again: There are no convictions, there are no prisoners responsible.
In the early morning, Father Sergio’s words resonated with emotion: “We are going to look at the sky and meet those who became a lucecita for all.” Then, poetry put body to pain, the song gave voice to the absence and trumpet of the army broke the silence in an eternal minute that honored the fallen.
On Saturday, commemoration continued. At 11:00, a Mass was held in the Our Lady of the Rosary Chapel of Río Blanco and Paypaya. And at noon, the central act brought together the community again in the roundabout of the monument, reaffirming the commitment not to forget.
Then, an emotional caravan went to Mina 5. There, in the same place where everything happened, a response was prayed and a new tribute was shared. Every step of that march was also a form of resistance: Walk to pain so that it is never repeated.
Today, more than ever, the 14 are present. In each torch, in each step towards mine 5, in each word shared. Memory is resistance, and the commitment, eternal.
