Chile rescue mission: 15 miners rescued

Copiapo, Chile: Fifteen miners have been rescued from the Chile mines. The two-month long ordeal for the trapped Chilean miners is about to end. The retrieval of the remaining 22 trapped Chilean miners is under way, with first rescuer Manuel Gonzalez reaching the men after descending the shaft in the rescue capsule.

The rescued miners will now be taken for medical examination.

Gonzalez, from the state-owned mining conglomerate Codelco, took 16 minutes to descend in the specially designed capsule to test the run and was greeted with hugs from the miners, now into their 68th day of isolation.

He is now briefing the miners on the procedure for bringing them up one by one, as one man dresses in overalls in preparation for the ascent.

The men have spent 68 days inside that gold and copper mine. They've been supplied with food, water, oxygen and even cigarettes. Their families are at the site. Churches across plan to toll their bells in celebration when the first miner emerges from the shaft. That's not all, the entire world is watching what is turning out to be one of the most dramatic and long drawn rescue operations in history.

The first man to come out is 31-year-old father of two and mine driver Florencio Avalos, the second in command in the work crew, whose brother Renan is also trapped.

Thousands above ground at the site are excitedly waiting to see the first of the miners triumphantly emerge from a 10-week underground ordeal, while extraordinary television footage from the mine is gripping audiences worldwide.

With a final handshake and words of encouragement from Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, Gonzales earlier entered the cage-like capsule.

Chilean television footage showed Mr Pinera telling him, “I hope you bring the 33 miners back safely”. Other workers patted the capsule and one said “imagine you are at the beach”, while another reminded Gonzalez to "lock the door".

Gonzalez has vowed to be the last man to come up from the San Jose mine after the rescue.

The families of some of the miners have been taken by bus to the rescue area from Camp Esperanza as they prepare for the first retrievals.

It is expected to take at least an hour for each rescue, with 15-20 minutes for the man to be hoisted up the 620m rescue shaft individually in the capsule.

Florencio will be followed by Mario Sepulveda, 39, an electrical specialist, who is also married, and then by Carlos Mamani, the only Bolivian in the group of the 33 trapped miners. Each man will be flown to hospital immediately after their rescue and reunited with up to three relatives, officials have said.

Avalos had been the second in command of the group before the collapse, assisting his friend Luis Urzua.

The outdoor tent village, dubbed Camp Esperanza (Hope), which has sprung up outside the mine to house the men's families has become increasingly frenetic in the past few days, with thousands flocking to the site to witness the historic rescue.

Now the mood is more frenzied than ever, in anticipation of Wednesday's happy ending to what many initially feared was Chile's worst ever mining disaster.

The miners' relatives were preparing for joyful and tearful reunions ahead. But there was also a touch of anxiety.

The men have been trapped for 10 weeks, since an August 5 mine collapse, turning their unprecedented underground survival into a tale of immense international human interest.

The 32 Chileans and one Bolivian have become national heroes and imminent media stars, with books, movies and a barrage of press coverage likely from the moment they emerge from the mine.

(With inputs from AP)

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