Asia-Pacific

Escape shaft nearly reaches Chilean miners

(Agencies)
Updated: 2010-10-09 09:31

An aerial view of the Strata 950 which is digging an escape hole for the 33 miners that are trapped deep underground inside a copper and gold mine in an accident occurred on August 5 near Copiapo October 7, 2010. [Agencies]

Once the drilling is complete, a video camera will be lowered through the shaft, and the decision on whether or not to line the shaft will be made Saturday, Golborne said.

Both alternatives -- going without a liner or putting in steel pipe -- risk a disastrous setback, he said: "It's not a technical piece of cake."

President Sebastian Pinera announced that Bolivian President Evo Morales would join him for the rescue. One of the trapped miners is Bolivian.

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The actual rescue is expected to take 48 hours as the miners are pulled out one by one, a made-for-TV spectacle that has drawn nearly 800 journalists to this isolated spot in the desert.

Chileans have rallied around this spare-no-expense rescue effort, and Pinera has surged in popularity for his close management of the crisis.

"What started as a tragedy should end as a great blessing," he said, praising the rescue effort for strengthening Chileans' spirits.

He also said his administration "has acted as a government must in these kinds of situations," taking on complete responsibility once it became clear that the San Esteban mining company was incapable of handling the rescue. "And just as I said on that first day, we would do everything humanly possible to pull them out alive."

Sen. Isabel Allende said that "the battle isn't over," however.

"Chile is a country that is able to confront its challenges, but on the other hand it is a country that still has a long way to go," said Allende, the daughter of President Salvador Allende. "We must keep working for safety in the mines."