Rescue of trapped Chilean miners to begin at midnight Tuesday

2010-10-11 23:51:18 GMT+7 (ICT)

SANTIAGO, CHILE (BNO NEWS) – The rescue operation to free the 33 trapped miners will begin around midnight Tuesday (0300 GMT Wednesday), after officials successfully tested a capsule to bring them to the surface, Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said on Monday.

The rescue operation will be delayed until Wednesday as the rescue team is still working on the construction of the shaft's base. On Monday, efforts were focused in the testing of the capsule named "Phoenix 1" which will be used to reach the miners trapped at about 700 meters (2,296 feet) below ground.

Authorities were expecting to finish the shaft reinforcement by 9:00 a.m. local time but the process was quicker than planned after technicians decided to reinforce a shorter segment of the pipe, instead of the originally intended 96 meters (314 feet).

So far, rescue crews have successfully sent the "Phoenix 1" capsule down to 610 meters (2,001 feet). As back up, two more capsules were built in a smaller scale than "Phoenix 1." In addition, a third driller is about to reach the chamber where the miners are trapped, providing another option if needed.

Rescue efforts have advanced quicker than expected. Originally, authorities said that the rescue would take place around November.

-- © BNO News All rights reserved 2010-10-11

What are these reporters going on about! the miners have only been down there 2 months and they think they are going to have difficulty adjusting to the outside world! that's just a holiday. What about the poor people who have suffered from earth quakes or tornados and lost their homes and the many people who have suffered from illnesses and been in hospital for much longer. Talk about a media circus! Those chilians should have got them out in less than half the time. I'm sure they would have brought them out within a week if they thought there was a chance of getting oil from the mine!