33 Chilean miners trapped for 17 days found alive/likely 4 months to rescue

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[Fresh Tracks]

Drama in Chile as 33 miners trapped and not heard from for 17 days were found in an underground refuge today, alive and well.  It is reported it will take four months to drill a new shaft to rescue them after the copper mine they working in collapsed over two weeks ago.

Chile is the world's greatest supplier of copper.

If you've ever used copper for anything, say a prayer for a miner today.

The Guardian:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/23/trapped-miners-alive-chile

Voice of America
http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/Chilean-President-33-Missing-Miners-Alive-101263799.html?commentSubmitted=y&field=If%20you%20have%20ever%20used%20copper%20for%20anything%2C%20say%20a%20prayer%20for%20a%20miner%20today.%0A#comments

[Sirenoftitan]

The 33 Chilean miners who have been trapped underground for three weeks have been told that they may not be rescued until the end of the year.

The health minister, Jaime Mañalich, said the men – who had not previously been told how long the operation could take – had accepted the news calmly during talks with the Chilean president, Sebastián Piñera.

"During a conversation with his excellency the president of the republic, we were pretty much able to tell them and they've accepted that they're not going to be rescued before Fiestas Patrias [Chile's independence day celebrations on 18 September]," said Mañalich last night.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/aug/26/trapped-chilean-miners-wait-rescue

<snip>
The health minister said the surface team wanted the trapped miners to set up routines, entertain themselves and attempt to simulate day and night. 

"The space they're in actually has about two kilometres [1.24 miles] of galleries to walk around in," said Dr Jaime Manalich.  "We're hoping to define a secure area where they can establish various places - one for resting and sleeping, one for diversion, one for food, another for work."

The US space agency Nasa has been called upon for its expertise keeping astronauts alive and well on long missions in confined spaces.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11092343

[boodog]

I can't imagine the terror these miners must feel.

The news service said the government was taking steps — from getting doses of anti-depressants for the men to sending down fresh clothes and games — to help keep them physically and mentally fit for the grueling wait ahead.

"We expect that after the initial euphoria of being found, we will likely see a period of depression and anguish," Manalich said. "We are preparing medication for them. It would be naive to think they can keep their spirits up like this."

http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/38852964/ns/world_news-americas/

[Jaime from Wasilla]

I can't imagine the terror these miners must feel.

Now that they are in contact with the surface, and getting regular shipments of food and air, I suspect the terror has subsided, and now the bigger threat is boredom. Can you imagine being shut in a small, dark place with 30 other people, some of whom probably don't like each other much?

In that size of a group, there is always at least one guy who doesn't have good social skills or grooming habits. The toileting issues alone are horrible to consider. Add a nasty slob to the mix and there is potential for some serious homicide.  Lets wait and see if they all last until the rescue.

[Forty Watt]

Miners who have been trapped underground in Chile for more than three weeks have had their first telephone contact with loved ones.

Families queued to use a special telephone cabin and were given one minute each to talk to the trapped men.

Psychologists have urged family members making the calls to sound optimistic.

I really happy about this so I don't want to sound snarky when I say I wouldn't have thought you needed a psychologist to recommend keeping the tone upbeat.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11127268

[Forty Watt]

Chile mine owners ask for forgiveness after collapse

CEO of the San Esteban mining group, Alejandro Bohn, said he "must ask forgiveness" for the "pain" caused.

[...]

"This is a terrible situation, and we hope that it will soon come to a happy end."

Last Thursday, a Chilean judge ordered the freezing of $1.8 bn in assets owned by San Esteban as future compensation for the miners' familes.

[Lani]

I think the experience of NASA astronauts will be invaluable to the trapped miners.  And I am glad the mining group asked for forgiveness.  I haven't heard that from the West VA and Kentucky companies yet - - have you?

[pacos_gal]

I think the experience of NASA astronauts will be invaluable to the trapped miners.  And I am glad the mining group asked for forgiveness.  I haven't heard that from the West VA and Kentucky companies yet - - have you?

Nope, nor have I heard about compensation to those families.  I could be wrong and just haven't heard about it though.   Of course for anything like that to happen, they would have to first admit that it was the mining companies Fault that anything happened to the miners.  That's not likely to happen either.

[futurexpat?]

And it looks like the people in the Gulf are going to be hard pressed to get any compensation from BP. This is the American way of doing business.

[Sirenoftitan]

Scientists from the US space agency Nasa have advised the trapped Chilean miners to regulate their day and night sleep patterns.  A team of four visiting experts said the men should boost their Vitamin D intake and phase in an exercise program as their nutrition improves.

The 33 miners have been stuck in a tunnel 2,300ft (700m) below the ground for nearly a month after a rock fall.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11186430

[Forty Watt]

The wife of one of the 33 miners trapped underground in Chile has given birth to a baby girl.

Ariel Ticona, who has been trapped underground for 40 days, has asked his wife to name the girl Esperanza, Spanish for hope.

The couple already have two sons together.

Relatives recorded the delivery, and say they will send the video down through one of the shafts being used to ferry supplies to the trapped men.

Nice 

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11306900

[Sirenoftitan]

The engineer in charge of the rescue of 33 miners trapped underground in Chile says he hopes the men could be freed in early November.

Initially, mining experts had said the rescue could take until Christmas.

Engineer Rene Aguilar said a drill used to dig a hole to haul the men to safety had reached a depth of more than 350m, halfway to where the miners were trapped after a rockfall 41 days ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11322327

[boodog]

The engineer in charge of the rescue of 33 miners trapped underground in Chile says he hopes the men could be freed in early November.

Initially, mining experts had said the rescue could take until Christmas.

Engineer Rene Aguilar said a drill used to dig a hole to haul the men to safety had reached a depth of more than 350m, halfway to where the miners were trapped after a rockfall 41 days ago.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11322327

The is is wonderful news for the miners and their families. I'm hoping they can keep positive and healthy till then.

[Sirenoftitan]

They have lived through a catastrophic mine collapse and survived for nearly two months underground, but now the trapped Chilean miners are preparing for a fresh ordeal: surviving the attention of the world's media above ground.

With efforts to free them advancing faster than expected, the 33 men are receiving media training and lessons in how to deal with any financial benefits they may receive.

Government officials have said that the miners will be freed before 1 November, but many on the rescue team believe this could happen days – or even weeks – earlier.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/sep/22/chilean-miners-media-training

[Sirenoftitan]

A court in Chile has frozen the assets of the company which owns the mine where 33 men have been trapped for 50 days.  The move was requested by the Chilean government, which wants the company to repay the cost of the miners' rescue.

The San Esteban mining company was in financial trouble even before the main access tunnel to its copper and gold mine collapsed.  And the rescue operation will add millions of dollars to its debts.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11410151

[boodog]

Surviving the darkness, humidity and mental and physical health risks.

Decades of research has shown the human body is built to function on the rhythm of the rising and setting sun. If sunlight doesn’t tell our brains when we should be asleep—and if we don’t eat, exercise, and sleep on a fairly regular daily schedule—humans can develop all sorts of health problems over time, from irregular metabolism to heart disease to deficiencies of key vitamins. Disruptions to our body’s 24-hour clock can impair motor skills (proof: doctors who toil over long shifts are far more likely to get in car accidents). They can make us irritable or depressed. To feel the effects of those disruptions each day would be like trying to live life in a constant state of jet lag.

http://www.newsweek.com/2010/09/14/surviving-the-darkness.html

[Sirenoftitan]

Families of 33 miners trapped inside a collapsed copper and gold mine in northern Chile since early August have been shown the rescue capsule that authorities hope will eventually bring their loved ones safely to the surface. Crowds waiting outside the San Jose mine near the city of Copiapo on Saturday chanted "Viva Chile!" as the steel cage, named "Phoenix" was driven into the compound where the delicate operation to free the men, who are confined to a cavern 700 metres below ground level, is being coordinated.

Rescue capsule arrives for trapped miners

[futurexpat?]

It's very similar to what they used here a few years ago to rescue trapped miners in PA.

[futurexpat?]

This article has a lot to say about how their lives are planned for them every day.

Settling in for the long wait, they have established a disciplined routine designed not only to keep them mentally and physically fit, but working together.

The plan, according to the rescue effort's lead psychiatrist, Alberto Iturra Benavides, is to leave them with "no possible alternative but to survive" until drillers finish rescue holes, which the government estimates will be done by early November.

"Surviving means discipline, and keeping to a routine," Iturra said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100927/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_chile_mine_collapse

[Sirenoftitan]

Thirty-three miners trapped underground in Chile for nearly two months could be out sooner than thought.  Rescuers digging to reach the men say one of their drills has cut through 50m (164ft) of rock in 24 hours.  At that rate they could be ready to bring the men to the surface by the middle of October.  But they have warned that they could yet run into problems, and the government still says it could take until early November to get them out.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-latin-america-11431565