We are all cheering and embracing. Thank you USA and Australia for sending advanced machines to help with the heroic rescue efforts. God bless and Viva Chile!

Just thinking about how the families must have felt when they got that message made me cry. Can you imagine? After two weeks you'd still be clinging to hope, but a part of you would be sure they were gone. Then to get that message and know they were alive -- it's undescribable.

It's also good to see someone like Nayadeth say thank you USA

Nayadeth, you are more than welcome. This news is wonderful for all the families of those trapped. I hope the time to rescue them is not as long as estimated but I also know how much care the rescuers must take. (I have family in WV that works in mines.)

My ancestors were miners in Pennsylvania. A story like this warms my heart and I hope these people will be reunited soon.

bklynj why would u go & say something like that? what is wrong with u?

Yes, great news but 2 or 3 months to get to them>??>

As a retired coal miner I would warn against celebrating yet as these guys are in a world of hurt and truly hanging on by a thread

yes bop I would agree, there is no time to waste here we need to get to them as quickly as possible. I am sure they are going to get as much supplies as possible to them in case they lose the ability to ship stuff to them. but this is a great story so far, lets get these guys above ground to celebrate in the sunshine.

You both are right. What if some of the miners are injured. They possilby have to wait 4 months in order for the miners to be extracted? I hope maybe other Mining Countries could help get them out sooner.

In that time, many medical problems could show up in the miners.

It's not over yet, but Congratulations to the Miners who did get out in Chile?

To stay in a cramped hole nearly 1/2 mile below the surface for 4 months, will be a mental challenge first, and a physical challenge second. In cramped quarters for 2 weeks muscles can atrophy. Keep giving them water, food, and fresh air. Good luck to all that participate in the rescue effort.

It's what 2500 ft down to where they are? They have to bore a brand new tunnel down to them. Unless you invent a star trek transporter they have to dig. There is nothing anyone can do to make it happen quicker. They are sending the equipment which has set capabilities, they know how much

it can dig a day so then it is just a matter of mathematics. I am sure that the officials in Chile are working as quickly as possible and it sounds like other companies and countries are lending support as quickly as it is asked. They are not stalling it will just take time.

Having said that I pray that the families and the men down below keep faith and find the strength the endure this and are reunited in the end.

I was reading that it's the size of a small apartment so maybe it's bigger than we think. And they were able to get to their trucks for the batteries to make the helmets light up so I am guessing it's bigger than we think.

They are not all trapped in a little room, there is still a fairly large amount of
tunnel area" around the room. The article said they used lights from VEHICLES IN THE MINE for light...Those vehicles aren't stored in the shelter, they are in the mine tunnels, meaning, they have their safety room plus some tunnels w/vehicles in them available to walk around in, which is also why the air lasted as long as it did, they had more available than what was assumed they had...As far as the "bathroom" goes, I'm sure they have the very end of the last tunnel reserved for that, and I'm sure they shovel dirt over it too when they're finished...I highly doubt they're relieving themselves in the shelter....If I was down there I'd ask them to also send down lots of deodorant, toilet paper, and "handi wipes" along with the food and water, because 33 people that have no way to to take a shower for the next few months isnt gonna smell real good....Thats the least of their worries, yes, but it'll help make the ordeal they're going through that much more bearable...They're drilling more air and food supply holes too, maybe they can run a hose with a nozzle down to them so they can improvise a showering system and also have access to clean water at any time...

Lipsynchhater:

Absolutely correct. Statement well-thought out and true.

I was thinking, to keep them occupied, I would suggest sending down things like hand held video games, playing cards, and time consuming things of similar nature. They may be able to keep these people alive physically, but they need to do everything they can to give their minds the ability to escape that hole they are in. As for the smell down there, I doubt anybody in there is worried about that. The probably don't smell each other anymore because of desensitization. Once those guys have their stomachs back in good order, send them each a beer.

Richard:

The shower thing is for more than just to not smell bad, its also to prevent parasites and fungus growth, some of which can get serious enough to become a real concern to the affected person, let alone the possibility of transmitting the parasites and such to the other miners...A showering system is the best way to prevent those things...They can also use it to clean their eating utensils and plates to keep mold and such from growing on them...I think a showering/eating utensil cleaning system is a necessity down there to help prevent disease from taking hold...Just run a small water pipe with a nozzle down one of the holes they're drilling and attach the pipe to a truck filled with clean water and gravity will do the rest...That's all they need to do and the miners will be MUCH better off for it....

Finally a heartwarming event that we can all celebrate. God-speed to the engineers and safety to the miners.

Will they be able to last the two months it takes to bring them up?

120 days is more like 4 months. They have some food and water, and more is being sent down through the hole they bored to locate them. They are also sending down cameras and microphones for communication purposes. Maybe they'll even send them some crossword puzzle books to pass the time :)

Um dumb ?? where do they go to the bathroom?

I imagine a hole in a corner away from wherever they eat.

Well pretty soon the sanitary conditions will set in. Praying for them because at this rate they will not make it till christmas.

If they can send things down, they can send things UP so to speak. If sanitation becomes an issue I'm sure they have rather simple plans to deal with that.

Thank you for your thoughts, and to answer your questions, yes, through the drilled hole and tube installed they are going to recieve food and basic needs until the rescue equipment arrive from abroad. It is estimated that it will take over a month to get them out. Greetings from CHile. Sergio Garcia.

Yes Nancy, they can and that's actually what they are going to send now, in addition to communication devices. Now that they know that they are all alive, it will take between 80 and 120 days to excavate a tunnel to reach them, but knowing that they are alive (and being able to get a probe down there) is enough to celebrate for now. We must take in account that beofre this probe, like 10 other probes failed to get to the refuge where the miners are located due to technical problems.

Yes, that is the idea. First thing is to treat miners from not eating for a long time, they are sending down medicines and others things before miners can eat solid food. The rescue will take several months though, but I really liked your comment. US usually dont care about what happens beyond this country

Marcelo, Portland Oregon USA

Thank you Sergio for the information. First, please ignore all the Americans who want to make this a USA political issue instead of focusing on the tragedy at hand. I have not read anything before about this and I am sure I am not alone. I apologize for my ignorance here but are these miners in a cavern or some such area or are they in cramped quarters? Can they stand or are they trapped in prone positions? Did the note offer anything in the way of information other than they are alive? How many were in the original group in addition to the 33 that are alive? Please know that there are many Americans who truly care and will be praying for your countrymen to make it out alive and well.

I'm with Nancy. Haven't heard a thing. I am glad they at least know one person is okay. Can you imagine another couple months in the dark with 17 other people. Talk about a psychotic break waiting to happen. All in all good news.

Here in Chile, throughout Latin America and Spain it has been news. I have searched for news in American media however only a handful of articles exist. I requested a few newspapers to write more about the American and Australian aide that came to my country but has yet to surface. I hope it does. I know from hearing the news within Chile, the American and Australian machinery helped advance the drilling efforts significantly. That said, thank you to every single entity who has contributed to this amazing moment. Cheers! (33 miners = 32 Chilean, 1 Bolivian)

Nancy, Only 33 were buried deep under the mountain and apparently they are all alive. The refuge should allow them to be in an upright position but we do not have any details on how are things downthere since this news just came to light a few minutes ago. There are hundred of people outside the mine including the relatives which are flabergasted with the news and emotions that are shared with everyone in the country and as I see now, with the world. Thank you again Sergio Garcia

I had not seen anything about this crisis in Chile and I usually keep an eye on the news. Thanks for the information Sergio.

This is wonderful news! Best wishes to you in Chile from the daughter of an American coal miner.

Hello Nancy I'm from Chile too! And I can answer a few of your questions, The miners are in a refuge underground. It was said when the mine just collapsed (August 5th) that there they had food and water for 25 people that would last 48 hours. After all this time many people thought they wouldn't be alive, but they are, all 33 of them, that is the original group! There was another note from one of the miners to his family, we don't know much more details about that one. Only that it says that they are on level 44!

Nancy, I hadn't heard about this until just now Either. Its not much of a suprise though. What with BO going on a vaca every 2-3 days, the news media hasn;t really had time to crank out any real reporting. Hope the men trapped down there are all still alive when they pull them out.

The news came on CNN the same day!! and continued to be reported. I am also a Chilean and hated to know that these men were in jeopardy. The President being on vacation does not have anything to do with the reporting of the news in this country. The media usually dances to its own music; however, in this case they did their jobs which is reporting the news...

Really? I might have to start watching CNN then.

I think now that the miners have been found alive it will become a big story very quickly and all Media outlets will focus in on it. That's the nature of the beast. I hope the rescue effort is quick and is completely successful.

To expand on the information provided by Sergio and the rest of my countrymen, the trapped miners should have a couple of miles of space to move around. since they were near the bottom of the mine when a cave in occurred in the middle portion, trapping them.

New information points to them having 2 pick-up trucks and some other machinery that they have been using to provide light and to improve their air and water supply.

Its a bit off subject but what do you thing those guys have for going to the bathroom? If they are there for what looks like about a month that could be a serious problem

sounds like they might have plenty of room to set up some honey buckets,hope so at any rate,but it really is the least of their problems

That's even better news, Francisco! At least they have enough room so they won't get claustrophobic or stir crazy. So all they really MUST have for the wait is food and water, and medicine if any of the 33 are on anything like Blood Pressure meds or something like that. Excellent! I'm sure, after their families, the first two things they'll want to see when they're brought up are the sun and the stars!

I was thinking as I read this story, and the comments here saying they were receiving help from the US and Australia. Our own miracle in Pennsylvania where they rescued 9 (I believe) miners by boring a hole down to them big enough for a round cage to be lowered to them that was just big enough for a man to squeeze into standing up. As I remember, it was JUST big enough for one of them who was a big guy, but he squeezed in anyway (I damn well would have too!). I was wondering if whoever pulled that off in Pennsylvania could do the same down there, and if it might be faster where it involved drilling a hole rather than digging a tunnel? It might be dependant on what type of material they would have to drill through and how deep they are from the surface. At any rate, they're alive, they've established contact, and it's now just a matter of time. Thank God!

It can be a serious problem, ramcar. But they should have the tools to dig slit trenches. They can then cover those and continue to bury the waste, thereby reducing the chance for illness. They will use their heads and figure out a way to take care of that problem, I'm sure.

just thinking of the logistics. Be bad to have them survive a collapse but the get cholera or something

i know it could be,it just sounded like they had more area to move around in than most people think,our mine area is about the size of manhattan,so we could have a roof drop and still have plenty of room to move around,hopefully the same situation there

IamanAmerican --

Could you PLEASE leave U.S. politics out of here just this one time?

@ Just Me 1436687 -

How did IamanAmerican make it a political issue? He/She simply stated that thye need to start watching CNN...perchance thou protesteth too much?

How did IamanAmerican make it a political issue

Because he said it was Barack Obamas fault he hadent heard about this until just now due to Obama taking a vacation every two or three days hogging up all the media spotlight.

he was commenting on the news not on the president. our news is obsessed with celebrity and not necessarily news.

I hope that they have enough batteries to keep the lights on until they are extracted. It would be really difficult to survive for that long in pure darkness. Perhaps someone should send some extra little flashlights down the hole with a bunch of batteries just in case.

On another note, I think they should send down some playing cards so those guys can play poker or something to pass the time.

Onepoker/Tom - read some more of his posts. He was definitely trying to make it political.

\
This is also the first time I am hearing of this situation, very glad to hear the guys are alive, can't being to imagine waiting 3+ months to get dug out, at least they have company. Glad to see the authorities are as concerned with their psychological condition as they are with providing food and water, hopefully they can keep them in contact with the outside world, and sane until this ordeal is over.

Francisco and Sergio,

Thank you so much for your updates. To hear good news like this can help give people hope for almost anything around the world. I appreciate your updates. Lets wish all the best for the families and for all 33 men trapped underground. We can only hope that the people who are looking after this situation in Chile can do everything possible to help these families out. IamanAmerican, nothing you said was wrong or mis-printed. I understood where you were coming from the whole time. We don't hear about stuff like this because our media in North America is so confined to BS and rumors. Anyways, God bless the world!

thevons

Francisco, Sergio, Nayadeth, or anyone else who might be on the scene,

As I mentioned elsewhere in these posts I spent months at sea underwater in a submarine. One thing I have not seen mentioned anywhere is that when you go for an extended length of time only focusing your eyes short distances, the farthest we could focus our eyes for months was about 100 feet, it becomes difficult to focus on distant objects when you come back up. To this day I still find it difficult to focus on distant objects. I would think that only being able to focus your vision to the extent of the distance a flashlight would shine could cause the same problem over time therefore I would suggest to the miners that they send someone to a distance with a light so that all could practice looking at distant objects and thus maybe save their distance vision for the future.

It would also be good if they could get these guys some sunglasses to put on just before they bring them up.

iv'e been mining for four years and this is definitely the best news we could ever hear,i hope the news is factual and they get back to the bottom asap

A mispost

AMEN!

IamanAmerican , U of M and others like them complainthat BO is all over these newsfeeds out of one side of their mouths, but out of the other side, THEY are the ones who bring Obama into EVERY CONVERSATION THEY POST IN, off-topic or not. Classic hypocrites, all of them. And they're too retarded to know it!

Was God good enough to cause the cavein in the first place? It always amazes me how people give God the credit when good things happen and never, ever blame him when bad things happen.

In this case I would say the rescuers are so good. Congratulations to them, for hitting the target 700m underground.

The hole that was drilled was probably a few inches in diameter. A hole wide enough to pass a person through, 700m deep, is probably not feasible.

And I have absolutely no idea what the weather has to do with things when you are 700m underground.

Even if spring is arriving.

with any luck they can get to them with continuous miners ,if thats how theyr'e mining

Was God good enough to cause the cavein in the first place? It always amazes me how people give God the credit when good things happen and never, ever blame him when bad things happen.

That's why I, even though I believe he exist, don't believe in his interest in getting involved in everything that happens on Earth.

Norm--I think that Terry means that the changing weather is going to affect the people ABOVE ground, who are trying to rescue these guys.

Bluetigerlilly?

Are you as ill-informed as Terry-2164573 appears to be? As uninterested in doing some basic research of your own as Terry-2164573 appears to be? Unable to read the article and put 2 + 2 together and come up with 4?

The location of the mine is in a desert - the Atacama desert (one of the driest deserts in the world). Chile is in the southern hemisphere, so that means that winter is ENDING, and the rescue should be completed by Christmas (think end of June in the northern hemisphere). If necessary, a large frame building can be quickly erected (a few days to a week) to protect the workers on the surface from the elements. And that building could be erected with no or very minor disruption to the continuing work on the rescue shaft. I would suspect that many on the rescue would not be very bothered by the elements, though, and such a frame building would not be needed except to maybe protect the equipment.

Mike in B-more,

I'm sorry that I didn't catch the exact location of the mine. On that point I stand corrected, and thank you for the information. I did read the article and I'll admit that I probably should have looked at some maps and done some other research (as I have since done--and found some amazing images, as well) before making that remark. It's really not like me.

And no, I didn't use Wikipedia, which can be edited by anyone. I did already know, however, that Chile is in the southern hemisphere and that winter is ending. I guess that I was thinking more in terms of Chile being a fairly mountainous country and what would happen with people trying to get supplies to the rescue workers (not when they're bringing the people out, per se, but in the meantime, while they are doing all that digging and drilling--think March, April, and May in the Northern Hemisphere).

I do agree with you about the workers, who are probably used to the climate, not being bothered by the elements, and I do think that a frame building to protect the equipment would be a good idea. Rain and snow--none too comon in the Atacama--are not the only 'elements'. High winds (very common in the Atacama) are an element too. Dust and debris could cause equipment breakdowns which would slow the rescue process.

Bottom line, I just really hope that they can get these people out safely with as few snags as possible.

no soy familia ni de chile pero vas a ver que PapaDios va a hacer un milagro y los sacara de alli mas pronto de lo q creen.

May God keep everyone safe during the rescue mission. My thoughts and prayers are with the miners, their families, and those involved in the rescue effort to bring them back home. Peace, Nancy (USA)

if they cut to them with continuous miners they will have to do roof support all the way in,so depending on how long the roof collapse was it could take a while,but as long as they have ventilation and food ,water,they can make it,god speed my brothers

The mine is a virtual Corkscrew 4.5 miles long and over 2200 feet below the surface. The mine caved in closing the airshafts and regular access showing many craks in the rock and much inestability to go the normal route which in turn it would be a high risk for the rescuers. So, they are planning to dig a new hole straight down only wider than the one already done to find them. It should be able to fit a a person in it. Thank you for sharing your concerns. We are just very happy to have this news today!!!

it seems like you guys have a pretty up to date blueprint of the mine to be able to find a refuge chamber drilling,thats positive news,good luck and god speed,there are many brother and sister miners here praying for all involved

I understand your point completely. I wish these men well, and sincerely hope they get out soon. I just ope they don't put up a live feed for them like with the oil spill. Just imagine if one of them died down there(not that I want one of them to die, but still). Can you imagine how would react?

your right,but,being a fellow miner,i have to stay optimistic

it's going to be more interesting to see them keep up their spirits for 3-4 months, if it really takes that long.

I hope they can keep it together for that length of time.

my best wishes to them for a speedy rescue

ya pronto lo sabremos,