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One of 33 men rescued from Chilean mine

13 October 2010 07:54 (UTC +04:00)

Baku - APA. One man has been rescued as Chile works to free 33 miners trapped for 69 days in a collapsed gold and copper mine, APA reports. Rescued first was Florencio Avalos, who wore a helmet and sunglasses to protect him from the glare of bright lights. Each ride up the shaft was expected to take about 20 minutes, and authorities were working to haul up one miner per hour at the site in the chilly Chilean desert. When the last man surfaces, it promises to end a national crisis that began when 700,000 tons of rock collapsed Aug. 5, sealing the men in the lower reaches of the mine. The last miner out has been decided: Shift foreman Luis Urzua, whose leadership was credited for helping the men endure 17 days with no outside contact after the collapse. The men made 48 hours’ worth of rations last before rescuers reached them with a narrow borehole to send down more food. Since Aug. 22, when a narrow bore hole broke through to their refuge and the miners stunned the world with a note, scrawled in red pen, disclosing their survival, their families have been exposed in ways they never imagined. Miners had to describe their physical and mental health in minute detail with teams of doctors and psychologists. In some cases, when both wives and lovers claimed the same man, everyone involved had to face the consequences.