Chile miners' rescue is imminent, say experts

[luke]

Chile miners' rescue is imminent, say experts
Trapped men could be rescued in just 10 days as massive drill is '48 hours away' from reaching refuge 700 metres underground

The 33 Chilean miners trapped in a collapsed mine for the past two months could be rescued within the next 10 days. In a dramatic acceleration of the rescue plans, a massive drill is now within 48 hours of boring hundreds of metres through solid rock to the men's refuge nearly 700 metre's underground.

Once the hole has been completed, a metal lining will be placed inside the tube, allowing for a more uniform surface and easier escape for the trapped miners who will be placed inside a rescue capsule dubbed The Phoenix, then slowly hauled to the surface. Given the unique nature of the miner rescue, every stage of the operation has been fraught with uncertainty and innovation. Engineers now estimate it will take two to six days to install the metal tubing.

Once complete a commando from the Chilean Navy will be lowered into the mine to evaluate the miner's health and divide them into three groups: the able, the weak, the most able. The men will be evacuated in that order. Each man will be slowly winched one by one from their underground prison in a harrowing ride that is expected to take five to 15 minutes. Sedatives will be given to the men if necessary to calm them for the journey.

On Monday, construction workers scrambled to complete a helipad for the rescue operation. Once the men are stabilised they will be transferred first to an army base, then to a public hospital in the city of Copiapo. There they will be kept under observation for two days, but given the anxiety of family members to reunite, many are expected to head home sooner.

Late yesterday, the trapped miners began to tightly roll up their belongings and ship any memorabilia the the surface via hollow tubes known as "the pigeons", which are then hauled up by rope from the depths of the mine .

"It's moving time," joked Alberto Iturra, the lead psychologist for the rescue operation as he surveyed a box of hastily wrapped posters, flags and even rocks that the men had shipped back to the rescuers.

With the rescue date moving closer, the men are receiving workout classes, regular contact with their families and even training to deal with the media rush.

"We are providing media training classes," explained Alejandro Pino, a lead official with the Associación Chilena de Seguridad who said the men are being coached in how to prepare for interviews. With a massive worldwide audience expected to follow the rescue, Chilean officials are seeking to teach the men to both capitalise on the experience and to be prepared for an invasion of privacy.

Thanks to a constant delivery of fresh air, fresh water and food, the men are remarkably healthy and expected to receive a brief health evaluation once they are taken from the rescue capsule and then allowed to meet their families.

"This is now a logistical operation, not a health operation," said Jean Romagnoli, the personal trainer to the miners. As he downloaded music for one of the trapped miners' MP3 players, Romagnoli joked that he was now "Doctor, DJ and concierge" to the trapped men.

With the rescue now imminent, hundreds of family members have flocked to the mine in a celebration and excited anticipation. The impromptu city now includes a daily school for children, hundreds of tents, squads of patrolling police and an air of excitement as the daily advances made by a series of drills on the hillside bring the rescue date closer.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oct/04/chile-miners-rescue-imminent

thats good news, last time i read about this they were still saying it would be nearer christmas time!

[SpursFan1902]

It really has been an amazing process.

[faceless]

I have 4 24 hr news channels on my cable box (BBC, CNN, Sky and Euronews) - and they're all showing non-stop coverage of the miners being rescued. Not one is showing any other news at all... It's great that they're rescued, but is it the most important story in the world?

I uploaded a clip from the BBC just after the first guy was brought up, but there was an immediate copyright claim from Australian tv on it... they're all scrabbling for their bit of reflected glory it seems.

[Sera_6969]

Damn, damn, damn if i didn't cry watching this. Regardless of the monetising (NewsCorp, by any chance?) it's still a damn epic achievement.

[faceless]

actually it was ABC - I've only ever had 1 problem uploading stuff from Sky... the clip of Peter Andre crying at Kay Burley, which was #1 in the uk for a few days.

[faceless]

On George Galloway's radio show tonight there was a fine mix with the story of the Chilean miners.

download 3mb wma

[faceless]