Chile miners all freed: ordeal over
All 33 of the Chilean miners trapped for 69 days underground have been freed, after a 24 hour rescue mission. Jonathan Miller in Copiapo says there’s “national delight” at the success.
The final miner, shift supervisor Luis Urzua, reached the surface to rapturous applause at around 2am British Standard Time.
Rescuers held up a ‘mission accomplished’ sign as the mission to free the Chile miners reached a close.
The miners are now being examined in hospital. Hospital officials said the men were all “healthy”, and they were “surprised” at their good condition. One has pneumonia and a couple have had dental surgery, but the conditions are minor and responding well, the medical staff said.
Two or three miners may be able to go home this afternoon, they said, and the majority should leave hospital in the next 24 hours.
“They have suffered stress but the majority have done very well,” the official said. The miners will receive physical examinations and monitoring for the first month, and psychological support for at least the next six months.
Rescue
The rescue operation for the 33 trapped miners has captivated the globe. The group became stranded around 625 metres underground on 5 August when part of the mine collapsed, and were feared dead for 17 days.
They were then reached, contacted and filmed – and have now become world record holders for the longest time survived underground after a mining accident.
Find out more about who the “Chile 33” are here, look at their rescue in numbers, and read the most powerful quotes from the rescue of the Chile miners.
All 33 were saved in a 24 hour rescue operation which seemed to pass without incident. The miners were transported to the surface in an extremely narrow rescue capsule which was winched up a specially drilled rescue shaft.
Take a look at a photo gallery of the rescue of the trapped Chilean miners and Channel4 News cameraman Dai Baker’s photos of life in Camp Hope
As well as their President, the miners were greeted by relatives and friends who had been camping out at the mine’s “Camp Hope” since the accident. Amid a sea of red, white and blue Chilean flags, the crowd chanted “Viva Chile”.
The mood of national celebration has spread across Chile.
Channel 4 News Foreign Affairs Correspondent Jonathan Miller, who is in nearby Copiapo, said the atmosphere was “like a carnival”.
Last night he tweeted: “This city has gone completely nuts! The 33rd miner is out! The impossible has happened and the party has begun!”, adding later: “What a carnival! Outpouring of national delight…It’s like Chile’s just won the World Cup! Convoys of cars, hooting and waving flags.”
Foreign leaders have also queued up to pay tribute to the rescue operation.
President of the United States of America, Barack Obama, said: “This rescue is a tribute not only to the determination of the rescue workers and the Chilean government, but also the unity and resolve of the Chilean people who have inspired the world.”
The UK’s Prime Minister David Cameron phoned President Pinera to offer his congratulations. In response, the Chilean President said: “It really has been something magic. We will never forget this night.”
In a triumphant speech at the top of the mine, President Pinera had earlier said: “Hopefully the spirit of these miners will remain forever with us…this country is capable of great things.”
Below – look back on an extraordinary 24 hour rescue mission as it took place, minute by minute, using our live blog.
