Chile miners could be rescued ‘in days’
Engineers working to free 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for more than two months could break through to their refuge and begin the rescue within the next few days.
Rescue teams believe they could break through and begin transporting the trapped miners to the surface as early as Saturday.
Drilling is proceeding at a rate of four metres a day through the tough rock of the San Jose mine, with less than 100 metres to go before they reach them.
Once they break through, the miners will need to fit into a rescue pod 53 centimetres in diameter and then begin the journey to the surface, which could take 20 to 40 minutes for each person.
Trained rescuers, medics and navy engineers will travel down the shaft to help the miners out. Teams of two will be working 12-hour shifts to travel down the shaft and assist the miners into the rescue capsule.
Engineers said drilling has now slowed as it passes near a mine shaft and through a geological fault line.
The rescue
The 33 miners are trapped 701m below ground level.
The rescue team has been drilling three separate shafts in case one fails. Locally the pumps are nicknamed "The Tortoise", "The Hare" and the "The Elephant". It's "Plan B" - "The Hare" - that is leading the way.
Using the 12cm borehole which reached the miners in August and has been delivering supplies, "The Hare" has been widening this hole to 71cm, just wide enough to fit the escape pod.
Three rescue cages have been designed by navy engineers. Each capsule weighs just under 500kg, with communication links and three air tanks to allow the men to breathe for up to 90 minutes. The internal dimensions are tiny: just 1.9m by 53cm.
The journey to the surface can take anything from 20-40 minutes for each man.
After rescuers break through to the miners they will then have to decide whether to reinforce the shaft with metal casing.
A 16-strong team of firefighters, mine rescuers and Chilean navy medics are standing by to conduct the operation.
After more than two months underground the miners will be given sunglasses to protect their eyes from the sun as they emerge from the mine.
The men have been trapped since 5 August after a rockfall at the mine near Copiapo. Rescuers had almost given up the search until the miners were found 17 days later.
They have been trapped underground longer than any previous group.
Miners’ relatives, who have been camped at the mine since August, are preparing to celebrate.