Monday, October 11, 2010

Mine about to give ‘birth’ to 33 trapped Chileans







Nathan Vanderklippe ... The miners’ tale began as a logbook, started soon after the Aug. 5 underground collapse that left them stranded and uncertain of rescue. They documented their every move, meal and dispute in a collaborative effort initially aimed at telling families how they died. Now it will contain the extraordinary details of their survival.

Those details, and the men who can expect to gain both celebrity and wealth by telling them, are less than a day away from coming to the surface. Rescue crews finished reinforcing an escape shaft with a 56-metre protective steel sleeve, and conducted the tests of the escape capsule designed to evacuate the men, which they lowered nearly to the bottom before raising it back to surface without incident.

By 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, officials say the miners will begin to rise from the depths.

“The mine is like a pregnant woman. Any moment, she’s going to give birth to the 33 miners.” said Berta Morales, whose brother-in-law, Mario Gomez, is the oldest trapped miner. “It’s a new life for them.”

via Mine about to give ‘birth’ to 33 trapped Chileans - The Globe and Mail.

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