Painstaking drilling to free miners begins

ENGINEERS were in the early stages of drilling an escape route yesterday for 33 Chilean miners trapped deep underground, as officials insisted their ordeal may last until Christmas.

Away from the men’s families and the media, the giant, Australian-made Strata 950 excavator will bore a 33-centimeter (13-inch) wide pilot hole.

This must then be doubled using a special drill bit to 66 centimetres — wide enough to lower a rescue capsule down to pull out the miners one by one.