Trapped miners may be freed in 10 days

THE 33 Chilean miners trapped for almost two months could be freed within the next 10 days as rescuers drill closer to their refuge deep below the Atacama desert.

The men have been trapped 700 metres underground since a cave-in on August 5. Their fight for survival has captivated the country and drawn messages of support from Pope Benedict.

Rescuers will use metal cages designed by Chile’s navy to winch the men to the surface one at a time. Doctors said the workers have started exercising in preparation for the ride back to the surface. The men, who include a first-time miner, a former soccer star and a Bolivian immigrant, have also started preparing for the trip home by sending up the gifts that have been sent down to them through small ducts over the past weeks.

“The capsule is tiny, without space for all his stuff. So he’s sending it up bit by bit,” Juan Sanchez, father of trapped 19-year-old miner Jimmy Sanchez told state TV.

With their anticipated rescue just days away, the 33 miners have begun training on how to speak to the public and to the media once they emerge from the Earth’s depths.

Trainers began working with the men on “public speaking and public relations” sessions, said Alberto Iturra, the head of the psychologists’ team that is tending to the miners.

The training aims “to teach them to express clearly their ideas and how to handle situations so that the microphones and cameras do not turn out to be stressful for them, or become a problem that they do not know how to face”.

Authorities expect 700 journalists from around the world to be on scene to cover the rescue.

Mines Minister Laurence Golborne announced the rescue could take place weeks earlier than planned, because drills were making swift progress toward opening a large enough hole to extract them from their emergency shelter.

Technicians on Saturday also tested the custom-built cage that will be lowered into the mine to pull the men out one by one.

“We are in the process of trying to get all the equipment and infrastructure ready for the big day and are carrying out all the necessary tests and trial runs to prevent any possible complications,” Golborne told reporters.

It is expected to take about one hour to extract each man from the mine.

The drill is now within 48 hours of reaching their refuge and once the tunnel has been completed, a metal lining will be placed inside the tube to smooth the journey of a rescue capsule dubbed the Phoenix, which will haul the miners to the surface one by one.