Miners agree to evenly divide media windfall

THE first three rescued Chilean miners out of the hospital celebrated their new lives as national heroes yesterday, as word emerged that the 33 want to closely guard their story so they can fairly divide the spoils of their overnight media stardom.

That could explain why none of them have spoken publicly at any length or provided any dramatic details of their 69 days trapped 1 kilometre beneath the Atacama desert.

A daughter of Omar Reygadas, a 56-year-old electrician, said in an interview early yesterday that he told her just hours earlier that the miners have agreed to divide all their earnings from interviews, media appearances, movies or books.