Chile miners' rescue is imminent, say experts
RKCNDY
Posts: 31,013
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/oc ... e-imminent
The 33 Chilean miners trapped in a collapsed mine for the past two months could be out within 10 days. In a dramatic acceleration of the rescue plans, a massive drill is now within 48 hours of reaching their refuge nearly 700 metres underground.
Once the tunnel has been completed, a metal lining will be placed inside the tube to smooth the journey of a rescue capsule dubbed the Phoenix, which will haul the miners to the surface one by one. Given the unique nature of the rescue, every stage of the operation has been fraught with uncertainty and innovation. Engineers now estimate it will take two to six days to install the metal tubing.
Once that is complete, a commando from the Chilean navy will be lowered into the mine to evaluate the miners' health and divide them into three groups: the able, the weak, the most able. The men will be evacuated in that order. Each man will be slowly winched from their underground prison in a harrowing ride that is expected to take five to 15 minutes. Sedatives will be given to the men if necessary to calm them for the journey.
On Monday, construction workers scrambled to complete a helipad for the next stage of the rescue operation. Over the weekend, a caravan of trucks brought the first of the metal containers that will be used to house the miners during their first hours of freedom. Two family members will be allowed inside each container, which are designed to shelter the miners from sunlight and allow doctors to administer glucose and monitor health indicators. Once stabilised, the men will be transported by helicopter to a military base then housed in a public hospital in the city of Copiapo.
There they will be kept under observation for two days, but given their families' anxiety to see them again, many are expected to head home sooner.
Late yesterday, the trapped miners began to tightly roll up their belongings and ship any memorabilia to the surface inside hollow tubes known as "pigeons", which are then hauled up by rope from the depths of the mine .
"It's moving time," joked Alberto Iturra, the lead psychologist for the rescue operation as he surveyed a box of hastily wrapped posters, flags and even rocks that the men had shipped back to the rescuers.
With the rescue date moving closer, the men are receiving workout classes, regular contact with their families and even training to deal with the media rush.
"We are providing media training classes," explained Alejandro Pino, a lead official with the Associación Chilena de Seguridad, who said the men are being coached in how to prepare for interviews. With a massive worldwide audience expected to follow the rescue, Chilean officials are seeking to teach the men to both capitalise on the experience and to be prepared for an invasion of privacy.
Thanks to a constant delivery of fresh air, water and food, the men are understood to be remarkably healthy. They are expected to receive a brief health evaluation once they are taken from the rescue capsule and then allowed to meet their families.
"This is now a logistical operation, not a health operation," said Jean Romagnoli, the personal trainer to the miners. As he downloaded music for one of the trapped miners' MP3 players, Romagnoli joked that he was now "doctor, DJ and concierge" to the trapped men.
With the rescue now imminent, hundreds of family members have flocked to the mine in celebration and excited anticipation. The impromptu town now includes a daily school for children, hundreds of tents, squads of patrolling police and an air of excitement as the daily advances made by a series of drills on the hillside bring the rescue date closer.
If you were stuck underground for 2 months, what would be the first thing that YOU would do?
The 33 Chilean miners trapped in a collapsed mine for the past two months could be out within 10 days. In a dramatic acceleration of the rescue plans, a massive drill is now within 48 hours of reaching their refuge nearly 700 metres underground.
Once the tunnel has been completed, a metal lining will be placed inside the tube to smooth the journey of a rescue capsule dubbed the Phoenix, which will haul the miners to the surface one by one. Given the unique nature of the rescue, every stage of the operation has been fraught with uncertainty and innovation. Engineers now estimate it will take two to six days to install the metal tubing.
Once that is complete, a commando from the Chilean navy will be lowered into the mine to evaluate the miners' health and divide them into three groups: the able, the weak, the most able. The men will be evacuated in that order. Each man will be slowly winched from their underground prison in a harrowing ride that is expected to take five to 15 minutes. Sedatives will be given to the men if necessary to calm them for the journey.
On Monday, construction workers scrambled to complete a helipad for the next stage of the rescue operation. Over the weekend, a caravan of trucks brought the first of the metal containers that will be used to house the miners during their first hours of freedom. Two family members will be allowed inside each container, which are designed to shelter the miners from sunlight and allow doctors to administer glucose and monitor health indicators. Once stabilised, the men will be transported by helicopter to a military base then housed in a public hospital in the city of Copiapo.
There they will be kept under observation for two days, but given their families' anxiety to see them again, many are expected to head home sooner.
Late yesterday, the trapped miners began to tightly roll up their belongings and ship any memorabilia to the surface inside hollow tubes known as "pigeons", which are then hauled up by rope from the depths of the mine .
"It's moving time," joked Alberto Iturra, the lead psychologist for the rescue operation as he surveyed a box of hastily wrapped posters, flags and even rocks that the men had shipped back to the rescuers.
With the rescue date moving closer, the men are receiving workout classes, regular contact with their families and even training to deal with the media rush.
"We are providing media training classes," explained Alejandro Pino, a lead official with the Associación Chilena de Seguridad, who said the men are being coached in how to prepare for interviews. With a massive worldwide audience expected to follow the rescue, Chilean officials are seeking to teach the men to both capitalise on the experience and to be prepared for an invasion of privacy.
Thanks to a constant delivery of fresh air, water and food, the men are understood to be remarkably healthy. They are expected to receive a brief health evaluation once they are taken from the rescue capsule and then allowed to meet their families.
"This is now a logistical operation, not a health operation," said Jean Romagnoli, the personal trainer to the miners. As he downloaded music for one of the trapped miners' MP3 players, Romagnoli joked that he was now "doctor, DJ and concierge" to the trapped men.
With the rescue now imminent, hundreds of family members have flocked to the mine in celebration and excited anticipation. The impromptu town now includes a daily school for children, hundreds of tents, squads of patrolling police and an air of excitement as the daily advances made by a series of drills on the hillside bring the rescue date closer.
If you were stuck underground for 2 months, what would be the first thing that YOU would do?
The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.
- Christopher McCandless
- Christopher McCandless
Post edited by Unknown User on
0
Comments
So the first thing I would do would probably have a big spaghetti meal (it's my favourite) with my family and then have a couple hour session with my husband
And yes, great news.
Take a super hot shower for one hour and scrub!
I hope so much that this works out - I've thought about them every day. As someone who hates caves, basements, and anything of the like, I think they are very brave.
R.i.p. My Dad - May 28, 2007
R.i.p. Black Tail (cat) - Sept. 20, 2008