Miners lived for 33 days on 2 days of rations

THEIR self-imposed rations were meagre: Two spoonfuls of tuna, a sip of milk, a bite of cracker and a morsel of peach every second day.

That iron discipline kept 33 miners trapped a half-mile underground alive for 17 days on just two days’ worth of emergency rations.

And that same strength may be needed while they wait for rescuers to dig a tunnel wide enough to get them out — an operation that Chilean officials say may take until Christmas.