Chilean minister: Rescue to start next Wednesday
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Chile's Mining Minister Laurence Golborne, relatives, rescuers and authorities react after one of the drills finally reached the shelter of the 33 trapped miners in San Jose mine, near Copiapo, Chile, on Oct. 9, 2010. A 624-meter deep rescue tunnel was completed Saturday inside the San Jose Mine, in the middle of the northern Chilean desert, where 33 miners have been trapped by a collapse since Aug. 5. [Xinhua] |
The operation to lift out 33 miners trapped for over two months in northern Chile will kick off early Wednesday, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said Monday.
The rescue is scheduled to begin just after Tuesday midnight when a driller digging a tunnel toward the miners is removed, Golborne said at a press conference at the San Jose copper mine.
"So if we are in conditions of starting the rescue, we will do it," he said.
A China-made crane is lowering down a special capsule into the tunnel to reach the miners 622 meters underground, and will lift out the capsule carrying one miner each time. It will take an estimated 48 hours to pull all miners out.
Golborne said a test on the Fenix One Capsule, which will carry the miners and has arrived 610 meters deep, was successful, adding the rescue team is "optimistic," because "from the technical point of view, the rescue is advancing well."
He said after testing the capsule and the reinforcement of the tunnel, rescuers are setting the needed mechanisms to lift the capsule, adding the capsule had a good performance during the test, as there was even no dust falling.
Meanwhile, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said "there isn't yet a list showing the order to rescue the miners, but it will be announced moments before the final rescue."
He said the first to be lifted out will be those with better health conditions, because they can better resist the possible inconvenience during the rescue.
Manalich also said four rescuers, including two miners and two nurses, will be sent down to the shelter where the miners are staying to help them.
He said six hours before the rescue the miners will have a special diet, free of solid and rich in sugar, minerals and potassium.
Rescue chief Andres Sougarret said the Fenix One Capsule will be raised up about one meter per second.
Despite all readiness to rescue the miners, Chilean authorities are preparing for an alternative for the rescue in case of unexpected emergencies.
An oil drilling platform, the huge Rig-421, is continuing boring and is about to reach the shelter in order to serve as an alternative.
