Miners trapped for one month in Chilean copper mine

A computer screen shows one of the miners trapped underground in a copper and gold mine, inside the mine at Copiapo, some 725 km (450 miles) north of Santiago August 26, 2010. Thirty-three miners trapped for 21 days in a Chilean mine may get videos of Maradona and other soccer greats to beat boredom as they face several months deep underground until they are dug out. Picture taken August 26, 2010.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo)



The 33 miners trapped in a copper mine in northern Chile have set a survival record inside a mine and they are in good mental and physical conditions, doctors and rescuers say.

The miners have been trapped 700 meters underground since the mine, located some 800 kilometers north of Santiago, collapsed on Aug. 5.

These miners have set a new survival record inside a mine, breaking the existing record of three Chinese miners, who in 2009 survived 25 days inside a mine.

The rescue of these miners could take three or four months, although emergency workers have already sped up their rescue operation by using three drilling machines to open a tunnel, government sources said.

Meanwhile on Sunday, the miners' relatives commemorated their first month underground by blowing the horn of their cars.

"All of us are going to horn at 2:30 p.m." local time, and they will sing songs for them as "there is pain because the time is passing," Elizabeth Segovia, sister of one of the trapped miners said.

On Saturday, the miners were able for the first time to have a video conference with their relatives.

The first contact with them was established on Aug. 22, when they had spent 17 days inside the mine.

Psychologist of the Chilean Association of Security (ACHS) Alberto Iturra, and a member of the medical team assisting the miners, said that "the mental state of the miners is good and they are being adapted very well to the current situation."

Expert on occupational medicine Jorge Diaz said that "the physical health of the miners is improving to surpass the initial problems of the enclosure."

"We did the stabilization stage, the patients who had chronic disease were all stabilized. The workers are in good physical and mental conditions, so now entering the stage we call of maintenance," Diaz said.

The rescue team currently is at the so called "Phase 5" of the rescue: the physical and psychological training for reinserting the miners to the surface.

The experts use methods recommended by experts of the U.S. National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) to help the miners get acclimatized once they leave the mine.

Inside the mine three places have been provided with different lighting: one with natural light, another with medium lighting and the third one in darkness. This is meant to prepare the miners to get used to the light changes of day and night once they are out.

At the same time the psychologists will work with the miners to prepare them for joining their relatives once they are rescued.

The Chilean government has said it has worked out 10 different ways to ensure the success of the rescue operation.

Source: Xinhua