One of the most extraordinary rescue stories in modern history is returning to the screen.

National Geographic is revisiting the incredible story of the 33 Chilean miners who survived 69 days trapped underground in Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time, a new three-part documentary series premiering September 25.

The series will also begin streaming on Disney+ on September 26, giving Canadian audiences a chance to revisit a moment that captured the attention of the entire world.

33 Miners. 69 Days Underground.

On August 5, 2010, a catastrophic collapse at the San José copper-gold mine in northern Chile trapped 33 workers nearly half a mile below the surface.

For the first 17 days, their fate was unknown.

Then came the breakthrough that transformed the disaster into an international story: rescuers discovered that all 33 miners were alive.

What followed was an unprecedented operation involving Chilean engineers and rescue teams along with specialists and drilling experts from around the world.

The miners would ultimately spend 69 days underground before all 33 were successfully brought back to the surface.

Never-Before-Seen Footage From Inside the Mine

What could make this new documentary especially powerful is the material viewers haven’t seen before.

Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time includes previously unseen cell phone footage recorded by the miners themselves while trapped underground, along with interviews with survivors, family members and rescuers.

Six of the miners are also making their first appearances in an international documentary about the disaster.

The series doesn’t stop with the rescue.

It explores how the miners organized themselves underground, the enormous engineering challenge taking place above them and what happened after they suddenly became some of the most recognizable people in the world.

A Rescue Watched Around the World

The final rescue became one of those rare moments when millions of people across different countries were watching the same story unfold in real time.

National Geographic says an estimated one billion people watched the rescue, as the miners were individually brought to the surface in a specially designed rescue capsule.

For Chile, it became an unforgettable moment in the country’s history.

And more than 15 years later, the story remains an extraordinary example of survival, engineering and determination.

When Can You Watch It in Canada?

Chilean Mine Rescue: Race Against Time premieres September 25 at 8 p.m. ET on National Geographic.

All three episodes will become available the following day, September 26, 2026, on Disney+ in Canada.

For anyone who remembers watching those dramatic scenes from Chile in 2010, this new documentary promises something different: a look at the rescue through footage and testimony from the people who actually lived it.