![[Valid Atom 1.0]](valid-atom.png "Validate my Atom 1.0 feed")
BBC MUNDO RADIO
(Oct. 13) -- After more than two months entombed half a mile beneath the Chilean desert, the last of 33 trapped miners reached the surface tonight, the culmination of a dramatic rescue effort that was watched with jubilation around the world.
Shift foreman Luis Urzua, 54, the leader of the group, emerged from the escape capsule shortly before 10 p.m. local time and was greeted by an emotional Sebastian Pinera, Chile's president.
Urzua had insisted that as the leader of the group, he had to be the last man out. The president praised "Don Luis" as a "good captain" who had made the entire country proud.
"A shift of 70 days, that's a long shift," said Urzua, who hugged members of the rescue team.
"Mission accomplished, now we can all go and have a rest!" Pinera told the crowd gathered at "Camp Hope" above the mine.
"We have done what the entire world was waiting for," he told Pinera immediately after his rescue. "The 70 days that we fought so hard were not in vain. We had strength, we had spirit. We wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families and that was the greatest thing."
The president told Urzua: "You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an inspiration. Go hug your wife and your daughter."
Then, with hardhats on their hearts, Pinera and Urzua led the assembled crowd in singing Chile's national anthem.
The dramatic rescue of all 33 miners, a feat of seamless engineering that was executed without a hitch, was completed in less than 24 hours.
"Last night the whole world watched the scene at Camp Esperanza as the first miner was lifted out from under more than 2,000 feet of rock and then embraced by his young son and family," Obama said this afternoon at the White House. "And 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. It was a thrilling moment, and we're hopeful those celebrations duplicate themselves throughout the rest of day."
News media in China, where more than 1,500 die in mining accidents each year, celebrated the good news out of Chile. The Xinhua news agency called the rescue "a miracle," and People's Daily made note of the fact that a special crane used in the operation was made in China, The New York Times reported.
Early Wednesday, Florencio Avalos, 31, was the first miner to be rescued. His sobbing 7-year-old son, Bairon, threw his arms around him in one of the many iconic images of celebrations of the miners' perseverance, which quickly became a national symbol for Chile and a global media obsession.
Wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes, Avalos was freed shortly after midnight, ascending in a 28-inch-wide escape capsule painted with Chile's red, white and blue colors, and named Phoenix for the mythical bird that rises from ashes. Horns blared across the Atacama desert in darkness as the capsule finally reached the manhole-sized opening, to cheers of "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!" Avalos climbed out and hugged his two sons and wife, then Pinera, and gave a thumbs up before boarding an ambulance for medical checks.
The de facto deputy chief of the miners, Avalos was chosen to be rescued first because he was in the best health and able to troubleshoot glitches along the harrowing pathway up. There were none.
He was followed an hour later by fellow miner Mario Sepulveda, who emerged with his physical strength -- and sense of humor -- intact. He jumped up and down, pumped his arms and led a crowd of onlookers in a chant for Chile. Then while being hauled away on a stretcher, he asked his wife, "How's the dog?" and handed out rocks as joke souvenirs to his rescuers.
The Chilean newspaper Las Ultimas Noticias splashed his picture on its front page under the headline "Super Mario."
Speaking to reporters, he turned serious: "I've been near God but I've also been near the devil," Sepulveda said, according to The Daily Telegraph. "They fought but God won."
Smiling alongside his son, Sepulveda told the crowd that people who do dangerous work should remember their relatives. "Please call them," he said. "Love is the most wonderful thing that there is -- the love of your parents and your family."
Next came Juan Illanes, then the sole Bolivian citizen among them, Carlos Mamani, who yelled "Gracias Chile!" and kissed his wife, Veronica, so forcefully her hardhat fell off.
As each miner emerge from the escape capsule, he was given a few minutes to hug family members before being whisked on a stretcher to a field hospital for a medical evaluation. All the miners appeared to be in remarkably good shape.
The penultimate miner to be raised to the surface was Ariel Ticona, 29. He was trapped underground when his baby daughter was born on Sept. 14, but was able to watch the big event on video. The girl was named Esperanza, or "Hope."
Yonni Barrios, 50, who became the focus of international attention when it was discovered that he had both a wife and a mistress, was the 21st miner freed. Barrios had asked both women to be on hand to greet him, but the wife refused. The mistress, Susana Valenzuela, welcomed him with a heartfelt embrace.
The miners were trapped more than 2,000 feet below the surface, in a chamber where temperatures soared to 100 degrees and extreme humidity has scarred many of them with lesions and exacerbated high blood pressure and health problems. About 10 of the miners are suffering from hypertension, diabetes, dental and respiratory infections.
As they were brought out of the mine, the men were wearing special chest straps designed for astronauts, to monitor their heartbeats, blood pressure and oxygen intake while they ascend the claustrophobic shaft, the BBC reported.
After days of practice runs and tests, the miners' rescue began late Tuesday when an expert from Chile's state copper company, Manuel Gonzales, was lowered into the mine shaft -- making a sign of the cross over his chest before disappearing into the earth. He was followed by a navy special-forces paramedic, Roberto Ros. Ros and other paramedics evaluated the miners before they began the ascent.
For nearly two months that tube became the miners' lifeline, through which they received supplies and sent up love letters to their wives and girlfriends. A video link was even set up to allow them to watch live soccer matches.
The 33 Chilean miners are believed to have survived longer underground than anyone ever before.
President Pinera, speaking from Camp Hope after the last miner was brought up, praised the hard work, determination and careful planning that had gone into the rescue.
"We faced up to this rescue united as a country," he declared. "We did it the Chilean way, which means the right way."
Shift foreman Luis Urzua, 54, the leader of the group, emerged from the escape capsule shortly before 10 p.m. local time and was greeted by an emotional Sebastian Pinera, Chile's president.
Urzua had insisted that as the leader of the group, he had to be the last man out. The president praised "Don Luis" as a "good captain" who had made the entire country proud.
"A shift of 70 days, that's a long shift," said Urzua, who hugged members of the rescue team.
"Mission accomplished, now we can all go and have a rest!" Pinera told the crowd gathered at "Camp Hope" above the mine.
"We have done what the entire world was waiting for," he told Pinera immediately after his rescue. "The 70 days that we fought so hard were not in vain. We had strength, we had spirit. We wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families and that was the greatest thing."
The president told Urzua: "You are not the same, and the country is not the same after this. You were an inspiration. Go hug your wife and your daughter."
Then, with hardhats on their hearts, Pinera and Urzua led the assembled crowd in singing Chile's national anthem.
The dramatic rescue of all 33 miners, a feat of seamless engineering that was executed without a hitch, was completed in less than 24 hours.
"Last night the whole world watched the scene at Camp Esperanza as the first miner was lifted out from under more than 2,000 feet of rock and then embraced by his young son and family," Obama said this afternoon at the White House. "And 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. It was a thrilling moment, and we're hopeful those celebrations duplicate themselves throughout the rest of day."
News media in China, where more than 1,500 die in mining accidents each year, celebrated the good news out of Chile. The Xinhua news agency called the rescue "a miracle," and People's Daily made note of the fact that a special crane used in the operation was made in China, The New York Times reported.
Early Wednesday, Florencio Avalos, 31, was the first miner to be rescued. His sobbing 7-year-old son, Bairon, threw his arms around him in one of the many iconic images of celebrations of the miners' perseverance, which quickly became a national symbol for Chile and a global media obsession.
More Coverage:
- Miners Make It to Freedom
- Miners' First Words Above Ground
- Miners' Health Hazards Remain
- Enthralled World Watches
- Fist Pumps and Prayers
- Mine Rescue by the Numbers
- Miner Emerges to Tangled Love Life
- For Pod, NASA Thought Small
- Rescue Sparks 'Baby Jessica' Jokes
Opinion:
- Guide to Rescue Punditry
"I told Florencio that few times have I ever seen a son show so much love for his father," President Pinera said, according to The Associated Press.- Miners Make It to Freedom
- Miners' First Words Above Ground
- Miners' Health Hazards Remain
- Enthralled World Watches
- Fist Pumps and Prayers
- Mine Rescue by the Numbers
- Miner Emerges to Tangled Love Life
- For Pod, NASA Thought Small
- Rescue Sparks 'Baby Jessica' Jokes
Opinion:
- Guide to Rescue Punditry
Wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes, Avalos was freed shortly after midnight, ascending in a 28-inch-wide escape capsule painted with Chile's red, white and blue colors, and named Phoenix for the mythical bird that rises from ashes. Horns blared across the Atacama desert in darkness as the capsule finally reached the manhole-sized opening, to cheers of "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!" Avalos climbed out and hugged his two sons and wife, then Pinera, and gave a thumbs up before boarding an ambulance for medical checks.
The de facto deputy chief of the miners, Avalos was chosen to be rescued first because he was in the best health and able to troubleshoot glitches along the harrowing pathway up. There were none.
He was followed an hour later by fellow miner Mario Sepulveda, who emerged with his physical strength -- and sense of humor -- intact. He jumped up and down, pumped his arms and led a crowd of onlookers in a chant for Chile. Then while being hauled away on a stretcher, he asked his wife, "How's the dog?" and handed out rocks as joke souvenirs to his rescuers.
The Chilean newspaper Las Ultimas Noticias splashed his picture on its front page under the headline "Super Mario."
Speaking to reporters, he turned serious: "I've been near God but I've also been near the devil," Sepulveda said, according to The Daily Telegraph. "They fought but God won."
http://xml.channel.aol.com/xmlpublisher/fetch.v2.xml?option=expand_relative_urls&dataUrlNodes=uiConfig,feedConfig,localizationConfig,entry&id=942965&pid=942964&uts=1286965463
http://www.aolcdn.com/ke/media_gallery/v1/ke_media_gallery_wrapper.swf
Hugs, Tears Greet Chiles Miners
Chilean miner Florencio Avalos embraces President Sebastian Pinera seconds after coming out of the Fenix capsule. Avalos was the first of the 33 miners to be brought to the surface after being trapped in the collapsed San Jose mine for 10 weeks.
Hugs, Tears Greet Chiles Miners
Avalos's son, 7, and his family are seen waiting for him to emerge. "I told Florencio that few times have I ever seen a son show so much love for his father," Pinera said.
Hugs, Tears Greet Chiles Miners
Avalos is taken to the provisional hospital after celebrating his escape.
Hugs, Tears Greet Chiles Miners
Mario Sepulveda, 39, was the second miner to come to the surface, emerging an hour after Avalos. He brought with him a bag of rocks from the mine as joke souvenirs for those at the top.
Hugs, Tears Greet Chiles Miners
Juan Illanes celebrates after becoming the third miner to exit the capsule.
Hugs, Tears Greet Chiles Miners
Bolivian Carlos Mamani was fourth. He yelled "Gracias Chile!" and kissed his wife Veronica so forcefully her hardhat fell off.
Hugs, Tears Greet Chiles Miners
Jimmy Sanchez, 19, the youngest in the group, becomes the fifth miner to exit the rescue capsule. "I have suffered much," he wrote in a recent letter to the mother of his 4-month-old baby.
Hugs, Tears Greet Chiles Miners
Chilean miner Osman Araya kisses his wife, Angelica, as he steps out of the Fenix capsule after been brought to the surface on Wednesday. He was the sixth miner to be brought to the surface.
Next came Juan Illanes, then the sole Bolivian citizen among them, Carlos Mamani, who yelled "Gracias Chile!" and kissed his wife, Veronica, so forcefully her hardhat fell off.
As each miner emerge from the escape capsule, he was given a few minutes to hug family members before being whisked on a stretcher to a field hospital for a medical evaluation. All the miners appeared to be in remarkably good shape.
The penultimate miner to be raised to the surface was Ariel Ticona, 29. He was trapped underground when his baby daughter was born on Sept. 14, but was able to watch the big event on video. The girl was named Esperanza, or "Hope."
Yonni Barrios, 50, who became the focus of international attention when it was discovered that he had both a wife and a mistress, was the 21st miner freed. Barrios had asked both women to be on hand to greet him, but the wife refused. The mistress, Susana Valenzuela, welcomed him with a heartfelt embrace.
The miners were trapped more than 2,000 feet below the surface, in a chamber where temperatures soared to 100 degrees and extreme humidity has scarred many of them with lesions and exacerbated high blood pressure and health problems. About 10 of the miners are suffering from hypertension, diabetes, dental and respiratory infections.
As they were brought out of the mine, the men were wearing special chest straps designed for astronauts, to monitor their heartbeats, blood pressure and oxygen intake while they ascend the claustrophobic shaft, the BBC reported.
After days of practice runs and tests, the miners' rescue began late Tuesday when an expert from Chile's state copper company, Manuel Gonzales, was lowered into the mine shaft -- making a sign of the cross over his chest before disappearing into the earth. He was followed by a navy special-forces paramedic, Roberto Ros. Ros and other paramedics evaluated the miners before they began the ascent.
Sponsored Links
Urzua, the shift foreman, has been credited with keeping the men sane in those first harrowing days after 700,000 tons of rock collapsed their copper mine on Aug. 5. They made 48 hours worth of food rations last 17 long days, when they had no contact with the outside world and had no idea about efforts to reach them. Rescuers finally managed to bore a narrow hole down into their chamber and funnel down more food and supplies.For nearly two months that tube became the miners' lifeline, through which they received supplies and sent up love letters to their wives and girlfriends. A video link was even set up to allow them to watch live soccer matches.
The 33 Chilean miners are believed to have survived longer underground than anyone ever before.
President Pinera, speaking from Camp Hope after the last miner was brought up, praised the hard work, determination and careful planning that had gone into the rescue.
"We faced up to this rescue united as a country," he declared. "We did it the Chilean way, which means the right way."
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário