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Miracle rescue frees Chile miners
San Jose Mine (Chile), October 13
To hugs, cheers and tears, rescuers using a missile-like escape capsule began pulling 33 men one by one to fresh air and freedom at last early today, 69 days after they were trapped in a collapsed mine a half-mile underground.
Thirteen men were pulled out in the first hours of the apparently problem-free operation in the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile’s northern Atacama desert -- a drama that saw the world captivated by the miners’ endurance and unity as officials meticulously prepared their rescue. First out was Florencio Avalos, who wore sunglasses to protect him from the glare of bright lights. He smiled broadly as he emerged and hugged his sobbing 7-year-old son, Bairon, and wife, then got a bear hug from Chilean President Sebastian Pinera shortly after midnight local time. Like wives on the surface who had their hair and nails done for the occasion, the men looked groomed and clean-shaven. A second miner, Mario Sepulveda Espina, was pulled to the surface about an hour later - his shouts heard even before the capsule surfaced. After hugging his wife, Elvira, he jubilantly handed souvenir rocks from his “underground prison” nearly 2,300 feet below to laughing rescuers. Then he jumped up and down as if to prove his strength before the medical team took him to a triage unit. The operation was executed almost flawlessly through the night and included dramatic live images of miners hugging rescuers in their tunnel deep inside the mine. An estimated 1,500 journalists from around the world were at the mine to report on the rescue. A third Chilean miner, Juan Illanes, was rescued after another hour. The lone Bolivian, Carlos Mamani, was pulled out fourth, the youngest miner, 19-year-old Jimmy Sanchez, was fifth, Osman Isidro Araya came out sixth and Jose Ojeda, who turned 47 on Monday, was seventh. Mamani was greeted by his wife, Veronica, with a hug and kiss that knocked off her white hardhat as Chile’s President and First Lady held small Bolivian flags. Mamani also gestured with both forefingers at his T-shirt, which said “Thank You Lord” above a Chilean flag. He shouted “Gracias, Chile!” before a round of backslapping with rescuers. While the first to be rescued were in good shape, some have been struggling with illness and are more fragile. Mario Gomez, 63, the oldest of the miners, suffers from silicosis and was breathing from an oxygen mask as he reached the surface. — AP/Reuters
- First 21 miners rescued from depths
- Men were trapped for record 69 days after cave-in
- Miners being taken out methodically, one at a time
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How Chile miners defied odds |
What did they eat?From the August 5 cave-in until they established contact with the surface 17 days later, the miners rationed themselves to two spoonfuls of tuna, half a cookie and a half-full glass of milk every 48 hours. Once rescuers on the surface discovered the men with a narrow perforation drill, they began sending them hydration gel, soup and medication in narrow plastic tubes called “doves.” Doctors transitioned them to a solid diet to keep them slim enough to fit in evacuation shaft. |
How did they communicate?The first sign of life from the miners came on August 22, when knocking was heard on a drill head as it reached the depths of the mine. Rescuers withdrew the drill to find a note attached reading, “The 33 of us in the shelter are well.” Once the first bore hole established a lifeline to the men, letters began to pass between loved ones via the “doves.” Later came a fiber optic line enabling phone calls and videoconferencing. Doctors were also able to pass down a biometric
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What was their routine?
Once they were discovered, the men quickly established a regular meal schedule including breakfast, lunch, dinner and afternoon tea. Supported by a 500-watt
powerline, they installed lights to simulate day and night to diminish the impact of their eventual return to the surface. In recent weeks, the miners began to help with the drilling process, taking shifts to clear away debris that fell into the tunnel of the mine. |
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The miners had nearly been given up for dead after a collapse in the copper mine on August 5 till the breakthrough on the 17th day. The news electrified the rescuers, and sent whoops of excitement around the world: the 32 Chileans and one Bolivian were still alive.
