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| People cheer while watching on a large screen the rescue of the last miners trapped in the San Jose mine, in a public square of Santiago, October 13, 2010. All of Chile's 33 trapped miners were rescued from the bowels of the earth in a special capsule on Wednesday as a extraordinary two-month survival story many call a miracle triggered wild celebrations. |
(October 14, Santiago-Chile, Sri Lanka Guardian) After 69 days underground and 21 hours of rescue operation, the 33 miners are finally free and back on the surface, reunited with their families.
With the eyes of the world on Copiapó, a city in the north of Chile, rescue operation “San Lorenzo” has been concluded without complications. The capsule “Fenix II” made 70 trips underground and transported each trapped miner out of the confines of the mountain.
One by one, the rescued miners had their fingerprints taken by the PDI and went through a medical check-up. Once they were cleared they spent time with their families before heading to Copiapó hospital, for a complete analysis of their health condition.
The whole operation was a tremendous success, and not only Chileans were able to watch it go down live on their television: people from all over the world witnessed the most complicated rescue from a mine ever attempted. Countless newspapers and other media talked about the rescue, the Chilean miners were everywhere.
The broadcast of the rescue exceeded the viewer ratings of the World Cup 2010 in South Africa, with one billion viewers glued to the screens. In contrast, only 760 million viewers watched the World Cup.
Even President Barack Obama, who saw the first rescue live, said that the miners have inspired the whole world. Not only the determination of the rescuers and government, but also the unity and will of the Chileans have been remarkable, he said.
Congratulations and well wishes reached the miners from all over the world: General Secretary of the OEA José Miguel Insulsa, President of France Nicolas Sarkozy, Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel, President of México Felipe Calderon and many others contacted Sebastían Piñera to acknowledge the success of the rescue.
The team sent out by the NASA to assist in the rescue was impressed with the Chilean people and the strong will of the miners. Charles Bolden, Chief of the U.S. space agency, had nothing but praise for all of those who were involved in the San Lorenzo operation.
Now that the miners are free, all of them will have to spend the night at Copiapó hospital. Tomorrow, some are free to go home while a few will have to stay because of their rather fragile medical condition.
President Pinera said he is proud of each and every member of the miner group, who has become a symbol of companionship and courage. The government will work hard to improve the safety and dignity of the Chilean mine workers, he assured.
Nobody knows what the future holds for the 33 miners. Some of them might not go back to mining and instead will take one of the several job offers they have been presented with – not only for their own safety, but also for the peace of mind of their families.
All the miner’s families have plans to celebrate their loved ones’ second chance to live. Reunions with extended families and friends are in order. The mayor of Copiapó announced an event in honor of the miners that will include performing artists on stage. He would also like to create an underground museum and a monument to commemorate the 33 miners.
The San José mine is completely empty after the last rescue helper left at 00:23 on Thursday morning. The 33 miners are safe and the five rescuers back on the surface.
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