Clare company celebrates role in Chile miners rescue

As the Chilean miners are rescued one by one, staff at a Co Clare company have been celebrating the success of the mission and the part they have played in the rescue effort.

The drilling device, which first located the 33 trapped workers, was designed by Mincon - a leading manufacturer of rock-drilling equipment based at the Smithstown Industrial Estate in Shannon.

"We produced the reverse circulation drill that actually drilled the breakthrough hole," the company's engineering manager Joe Purcell told Clare FM.

"Now we can relax a bit, but I think until today everyone’s been holding their breath."