Right now as you read this, 33 Chilean miners, who have been trapped 2,300 feet below ground for 69 days, are being rescued one by one. The men have been stuck in a mine shaft since Aug. 5, 2010 when 700,000 tons of rock collapsed on top of them.
It all started early this morning with the first miner, Florencio Avalos, who rose to the surface at 12:11 a.m., according to Huffington Post. Since then, it’s been a gradual process freeing one man at a time.
So far, they’ve pulled out 20 men. One was Mario Gomez, 63, the oldest man in the mine, who fell to his knees in gratitude, then hugged his crying wife who was particularly worried about him since he suffers from silicosis, a lung disease common in miners. The family of the miners and the Chilean President, Sebastian Pinera, wait eagerly to give them all the men big hugs as the arrive. The crowd has often clapped and cheered the country’s name — “Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!” as each one escapes unscathed.
The whole world is on the edge of their seats as they cheer on the rescue team, touched by the reactions from each man as they reclaim their freedom. The mayor of Copiapó, a nearby city, even canceled school so parents and children could “watch the rescue in the warmth of the home.”
Tonic will be updating you throughout the day on their stories.
Follow our live blog here:
Round up: All 33 men, including the rescuers who went down to help them get into the capsule, got out alive and are doing well. It has been a celebratory 24 hours for the whole world and will not be forgotten. Tonic wishes the miners and their families a quick and easy recovery.
5:40: The 24th miner, 54-year-old Jose Henriquez and the 25th miner Renan Avalos, 29, popped out quicker than the ones before. It seems as though the pace is getting faster. Only 8 left!
5:20: The Chilean Minister of Health Jaime Manalich said that all the men seem to be in fantastic physical and emotional health.
5:15: Carlos Bugueño, 27, reaches the surface, making him the 23rd miner to be rescued,
4:15: Number 22, Yonni Barrios AKA “Dr. House,” as they called him for playing the doctor and Samuel Avalos, the 21st miner, are both out and bound for Camp Hope.
3:05: Dario Segovia, 48, is the 20th miner brought to the surface. Only 13 left to go!
2:30: The 19th miner, Pablo Rojas, was greeted by his son when he reached the top.
2:18 Esteban Rojas asked his wife to renew their vows while he was trapped underground. He is the 18th miner to be freed today and they will have a ceremony in the days to come.
2:00: According to CNN, President Obama viewed part of the rescue effort and thanked all those who contributed to bringing these men to safety. He said, the story has “inspired the world … the tears they shed after so much time apart expressed not only their own relief, not only their own joy, but the joy of people everywhere.”
1:23: Esteban Rojas is on his way up. Officially half way through!
12:40: Next up is 56-year-old Omar Reygadas who will be the 17th miner rescued today.
11:52: Daniel Herrera, 27, is the 16th miner to be rescued. The clean-shaven young man and his mother give hugs all around.
11:50: With tears hiding behind her sunglasses, a mother waits for the tip of the rescue capsule to show as men in orange guide it above ground.
11:18: A man and woman play their guitars and sing in Spanish as they wait for the next miner to arrive, keeping spirits up as the day continues to be a success!
11:10: The 15th miner was just rescued. No tears (yet), just a jolly hug to a family member and a thumbs up to the crowd.
10:30: Victor Zamora, the 14th miner comes up with his wife standing nearby in tears, they share a long embrace.
10:15: Chilean President Sebastian Pinera holds a press conference near the site of the mine, praising the miners and the rescuers. He also said that each rescue is occurring every 40 minutes, so the whole process could be completed in the next seven to eight hours, if everything goes as planned.
Watch the rescue live below.
Photo by Rescate Mineros via Flickr.