On that day, a 31-ton drilling rig cut a test hole in the rock. Rescuers planned to drill a 10-centimeter diameter test hole, then gradually expand it into a 66-centimeter diameter lifesaving shaft that would allow rescuers to pull trapped miners, one by one, from a depth of about 700 meters down the shaft. Engineers at the shaft said the rescue work is expected to continue for several months as the fastest rate of hydraulic drilling is 20 meters per day, with delays caused by technical problems. The drilling is expected to reach a vertical depth of 702 metres, requiring the removal of 4,000 tons of rock. As of September 1, 2010, the 33 miners had been trapped underground for 27 days, the longest known period of underground survival. Three exploratory shafts have been drilled, which are being used for food, ventilation and communications, and the miners have been given special clothing to keep them dry in the hot, humid conditions.
It was reported last week that five of the trapped miners were suffering from depression. They are now taking antidepressant medication and undergoing psychotherapy to improve their condition, and on Aug. 29, 2010, each of the trapped miners had a three-minute phone call with a family member. Rescue experts say high morale is crucial for the trapped men because it helps them save themselves.
Also, drilling can cause rocks to fall into the mine area near the trapped men, which doesn't threaten their lives but can block rescue routes and impede rescue. So the trapped men have to take turns clearing the rocks. The collapsed mine shaft at the San Jose copper mine in the Atacama Desert in northern Chile has been the scene of a miracle on the 22nd: all 33 miners have survived after being trapped underground for 17 days.
Now, the Chilean government and the trapped miners need to **** together to perform another miracle: to bring all 33 miners safely back to life and reunite them with their families. That rescue process is expected to last 120 days.
Eating, exercising, having fun, keeping the waistline at 2 feet 7, and returning home in 120 days
Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich on the 25th unveiled a "preparatory plan" for rescuing the miners.
He said the 33 trapped miners should be more active underground to avoid being unable to pass through the rescue tunnel because of their bulky bodies, and that "it is better for them [the miners] to keep their waist circumference below 90 centimeters (about 2 feet 7) so that they can hope to get out of the mine this Christmas.
According to the rescuers' plan, they will use a special drilling machine to penetrate the hard rock and cut a rescue tunnel with a diameter of about 66 centimeters at the mouth of the shaft (with a circumference of about 207 centimeters, about the size of a bicycle tire) that will lead straight to the space where the miners are trapped (shown in the photo at left). The reason for keeping the waistline below 90 centimeters is that the rescue tools also take up space in the rescue tunnel.
The rescue tunnel, as planned, will take 120 days to build. Special drilling rigs have now been transported to the troubled copper mine and have begun work.
To help the miners survive the 120 days, the rescuers recommended that they designate "safe zones" underground where they could "eat, exercise, work, toilet and sleep" in different areas. Manalich also advised miners to pass the time by singing, playing cards and video games.
On the 5th of this month, the San Jose copper mine 850 kilometers north of Chile's capital Santiago collapsed, trapping 33 miners in the mine at a depth of 688 meters.22, rescuers received a note from the miners underground through a detector: "All 33 of us are in the shelter, all safe and sound." At this point, the miners rely on a small amount of emergency food saved underground to survive for 17 days, which is a miracle. On the 22nd, rescuers cut a narrow passage 6 inches (15.2 centimeters) in diameter that led from the surface to the shelter where the miners were. It was through this passage that small notes written by the miners reached the surface.
After learning that 33 miners were still safe, rescuers sent food, water and oxygen down the shaft through these narrow passages. Chilean Health Minister Manalich said on the 25th, rescue miners "preparatory plan" of the first step is to let the trapped miners "restoration of nutrition", to receive professional treatment. Rescue workers sent down the shaft of the first batch of food is chocolate-flavored and fruit-flavored milkshakes, solid food to be delivered in about four days.
In order for the trapped miners to get enough nutrients and proper psychological adjustment, the Chilean government also turned to NASA for help, asking the other side to provide space food. Manalich said the narrow, enclosed space of the pit is similar to the environment of a space station, so space psychologists will also be invited to guide the miners to adjust their mindset.
Before they received their first ground assistance on the 23rd, each underground miner could only eat two bites of tuna, half a cookie and drink a few mouthfuls of milk for 48 hours to survive. Medical personnel estimate that each miner may have lost 16 to 18 pounds.
Additionally, rescuers have sent poker, video game consoles and books down the shaft for sustenance; as well as clothing and medicine. Most notable was a jersey collectively signed by the Chilean men's national soccer team, because Lobos, a 55-year-old stranded miner, was a member of the national soccer team in the 1980s. Some family members sent letters and photos to the underground. On the 24th, the stranded miners talked to the ground for the first time, talking on wireless radios that rescuers transmitted to the shaft through a narrow channel. The miners said they were in good health.
The miners also spoke to Chilean President Sebastian Pi?era that day. Luis Ursua, a representative of the miners, said, "Mr. President, we need you to be strong and forceful, to rescue us as soon as possible and not to abandon us. We are waiting for the whole wisdom to use every method to get us out."
Pi?era replied, "You will not be abandoned, not for a moment." Pi?era then reiterated that the government would do everything in its power to rescue the miners and would make sure that the stranded miners "spend Christmas and New Year's Day with everyone."
Chile's Health Minister Manalich said on 25 May that the trapped miners will simulate day and night life underground and will soon begin urine, blood pressure and temperature tests.
Manalich said the miners reacted calmly after the government carefully informed them that "the rescue could last up to 120 days," but that they may feel "despair, pain and serious discomfort" for some time to come. He added that the government has prepared antidepressants for the trapped miners.