After been trapped in the San Jose Mine for 69 days the Chile miners rescue mission began in the early hours of 13 October 2010, UK time. 33 miners have been trapped down the mine since September and this is the much anticipated rescue mission they thought might never come.
The rescue mission was originally estimated to take around 48 hours to get all 33 miners up 620 metres from the underground mine where they are currently trapped. There are also a number of rescue workers who have gone down the mine to ensure a successful rescue mission.
When deciding on what order the miners were rescued it was discussed between those trapped underground and those organising the mission. Some of the fittest were brought up first to ensure the safety of the mission, those with health problems then followed them and the stronger ones will then be brought up last. It is thought that one of the very last people to come up from underground is one of the voluntary rescue workers who went down the mine to help with the evacuation.
Miners are being brought back up to surface in a small capsule that runs down to the mine through an extremely narrow tunnel that was made out by an air drill. One of the initial worries of officials organising the rescue mission was that miners would suffer from claustrophobia when travelling back up to surface in such a confined space. Officials were also worried about the effects that the capsule would cause when banging against the rocks travelling up and down the mine.
Sky News is showing live footage of the evacuation, and we’re currently on the rescue of the tenth miner. When each miner reaches the surface they are immediately been taken to hospital to assess any injuries that may have been caused. They are also been placed in a dark room to adjust to the sight of daylight, bearing in mind this is the first time they have seen day light in 69 days.
This is an extreme accident that has taken place in the mine and has had an impact on each of the miner’s lives. Some may have developed health conditions; others now have to face up to damaged relationships when they return home.
