Rescuers 'Hours Away' From Reaching Chilean Miners

[Jazzy]

Rescuers are within hours of drilling down into the deep chamber where 33 Chilean miners have spent more than two months trapped half a mile underground, but officials say the miners won't see the light of day until at least Tuesday.



One of three drills -- labeled plans A, B and C -- is expected to reach the miner's underground pocket by mid-day today. Plans A and C had to slow down Friday after veering off course, so the drill labeled B is set to reach them first.



You'll know when it happens, Chile's mining minister Laurence Golborne told Bloomberg News. There will be a lot of cheering.



Anticipation is feverish at Camp Hope, a cluster of tents and kiosks in the desert above the mine, where relatives have kept a 66-day vigil for their loved ones. Children lit candles for hope, and women applied makeup ahead of today's big breakthrough.



After that, officials have to decide whether to line the rocky rescue shaft with a heavy steel casing, or try to pull the miners up through the narrow passageway one-by-one without reinforcing it first. Both options have pitfalls. The steel pipe would shield the miners from falling rocks, but inserting the heavy apparatus itself is risky, and could potentially cause a collapse or get jammed in the rescue hole.



You would have to put though a 600-meter hole a lot of pipes that weigh more than 150 tons, Golborne warned, according to The Associated Press. And this structure can be set in a position that also could block the movement of the Phoenix (escape capsule). It's not an easy decision to make.



Engineers will make that decision after they feed a video camera down the rescue hole to examine how steadfast its sides are. If they decide not to install the steel casing, rescuers could begin hauling up the miners on Tuesday. But if the steel pipe is needed, it would put off the actual rescue for another three to eight more days.



Relatives of the miners say they've waited so long for this moment, they're willing to wait a bit longer to make sure the rescue is safe. Most seemed to be in favor of using the steel pipe.



Meanwhile, deep underground the 33 miners have divided themselves into three groups. The strongest will be hauled out first in case they need to go back down the mine shaft to help rescue others. Then the weakest will emerge, followed by the others.



Officials caution that the rescue is now entering its most dangerous phase. The miners themselves may have to use dynamite to help widen the rescue shaft so that the Phoenix capsule can pass through. Engineers said they're taking all safety precautions.



We have done everything that technology permits, Miguel Fortt, a consultant on underground mining rescues in Chile's Atacama region, told the Times. If the Lord doesn't send us an earthquake, we'll be O.K.



Link: http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/trapped-chilean-miners-rescuers-are-close/19667495

 

[Jazzy]

Update: Drill Breaks Through to Trapped Chilean Miners



Rescuers have successfully drilled down into the deep chamber where 33 Chilean miners have spent more than two months trapped half a mile underground, but officials say the miners won't see the light of day until at least Tuesday.



Sirens blasted through the Chilean desert at around 8 a.m. local time today, signaling that one three drills safely penetrated an underground pocket where the miners have survived for the past 66 days. Cheers went up through crowds at Camp Hope, a cluster of tents and kiosks where relatives have kept a vigil for their loved ones. Children lit candles for hope, and women applied makeup ahead of tearful reunions.



But the hardest part may well be ahead. Officials now must decide whether to line the rocky rescue shaft with a heavy steel casing, or try to pull the miners up through the narrow passageway one-by-one without reinforcing it first. Both options have pitfalls. The steel pipe would shield the miners from falling rocks, but inserting the heavy apparatus itself is risky, and could potentially cause a collapse or get jammed in the rescue hole.



You would have to put though a 600-meter hole a lot of pipes that weigh more than 150 tons, Golborne warned, according to The Associated Press. And this structure can be set in a position that also could block the movement of the Phoenix (escape capsule). It's not an easy decision to make.



Engineers will make that decision after they feed a video camera down the rescue hole to examine how steadfast its sides are. If they decide not to install the steel casing, rescuers could begin hauling up the miners on Tuesday. But if the steel pipe is needed, it would put off the actual rescue for another three to eight more days.



Link: http://www.aolnews.com/world/article/trapped-chilean-miners-rescuers-are-close/19667495

 

[The Dragon Master]

I hope that they get pulled out as quickly as possible, but they must think of safety first. It would be a bummer for them to survive being stuck underground for ages and then get killed by falling debris.