Trapped Miners in Chile Still Alive
- 14 years ago
Emotions are running high throughout Chile as word comes that trapped miners are still alive. Ecstatic over the news, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera proposes improvements for work safety conditions.
Chilean miners, still alive 17 days after a cave-in, were sent supplies of saline and glucose through a narrow drill hole on Monday.
Rescuers now face a months-long, half-mile dig to rescue them.
In what relatives call a miracle, the miners on Sunday tied a note to a perforation drill that had bored a shaft the circumference of a grapefruit to the refuge where they are sheltered, 2,300 feet vertically underground.
[Sebastian Pinera, Chilean President]: (male, Spanish)
"I am sure that in all the homes of Chile, there were tears of happiness, of emotion, because after 17 days of being trapped and captive in the depths of the mountain which is 2,300 feet deep, 33 miners - 32 of them our compatriots and one son of a neighbor country - they showed the world that not only are they alive, but much more than that - that they are united, that they are strong, that they are fighting."
Pinera has sacked top officials of Chile's mining regulator and vows a major overhaul of the agency in light of the accident.
[Sebastian Pinera, Chilean President]: (male, Spanish)
"There will not be impunity, and I want to stress that the investigations - criminal as well as civil - have been initiated and we are going to investigate those responsible and punish those who are to blame."
[...]
But this could take up to 4 months.
The miners are four-and-a-half miles inside the winding mine. They are sheltered in an area the size of a small apartment.
Tanks of water, ventilation shafts , and water from drilling machines, helped the miners to survive but they have very limited food supplies. Health officials estimate they may have lost about nearly 18 to 20 pounds each.
Chilean miners, still alive 17 days after a cave-in, were sent supplies of saline and glucose through a narrow drill hole on Monday.
Rescuers now face a months-long, half-mile dig to rescue them.
In what relatives call a miracle, the miners on Sunday tied a note to a perforation drill that had bored a shaft the circumference of a grapefruit to the refuge where they are sheltered, 2,300 feet vertically underground.
[Sebastian Pinera, Chilean President]: (male, Spanish)
"I am sure that in all the homes of Chile, there were tears of happiness, of emotion, because after 17 days of being trapped and captive in the depths of the mountain which is 2,300 feet deep, 33 miners - 32 of them our compatriots and one son of a neighbor country - they showed the world that not only are they alive, but much more than that - that they are united, that they are strong, that they are fighting."
Pinera has sacked top officials of Chile's mining regulator and vows a major overhaul of the agency in light of the accident.
[Sebastian Pinera, Chilean President]: (male, Spanish)
"There will not be impunity, and I want to stress that the investigations - criminal as well as civil - have been initiated and we are going to investigate those responsible and punish those who are to blame."
[...]
But this could take up to 4 months.
The miners are four-and-a-half miles inside the winding mine. They are sheltered in an area the size of a small apartment.
Tanks of water, ventilation shafts , and water from drilling machines, helped the miners to survive but they have very limited food supplies. Health officials estimate they may have lost about nearly 18 to 20 pounds each.