Fifteen of the Chilean miners trapped in the San Jose mine have now been rescued, 18 still to make it to the surface.  The 33 miners have been trapped since 5 August 2010. When the miners were determined to be alive in late August, it was said that it could take up to four months to get them all out alive.

Mr. Mario Sepulvedo also known as “the presenter” because he recorded the lives of the trapped miners through video interviews over the two months of their captivity is reported as likely to become a television star in Chile.

The videos, various communiqués and items such as books, toothbrushes, football shirts were passed from the surface through boreholes - called "palomas" or doves.  It was through this method that Mr. Sepulvedo’s videos reached the surface.  Of note, the miners had a lot of light and were even able to watch the Chilean-Ukraine football match through fiber optic technology.

The Chilean present, Sebastian Pinera, who was onsite as the first miner emerged says that the country has come through a night in which “life defeated death, when hope defeated anguish.  A night which made us feel more human, more alive.”

The ninth man to arrive on the surface in the specially-made capsule was Mr. Mario Gomez.  At 63 years old, he is the oldest of the group and has been a miner for over 50 years.  He kneeled and offered thanks to God for his survival.

Currently, streaming live video of the rescue can be viewed at a number of news outlets.  The AP reports that the only media allowed to record images of the men emerging from the shaft will be a government photographer and Chile's state television channel.

Related articles

• Chile mine rescue capsule on show (bbc.co.uk)
• VIDEO: Chile mine rescue kit on display (bbc.co.uk)
• Chilean miner exercises $6bn Anglo copper option (telegraph.co.uk)
• 33 Chilean Miners, 33 ATCO Modular Units in Rescue Mission (prweb.com)
• Miracle Underground - The Film about 33 Chilean Miners Rescued from the Brink of Death (prweb.com)