Final preparations last night for the rescue at the San
José mine took a few hours longer than expected, which put everyone on edge.
The rescue team made two trial runs with the rocket-shaped capsule Fenix 2 (Phoenix 2), first to check the communications and then with a rescuer inside the cramped space, winching it down to within about 30 feet of the miners' refuge.
It was 11:19 p.m. local time (10:19 EST) when rescuer Manuel González finally stepped into the capsule to be winched down a narrow tube into the depths of San José mine.
Along with the rest of the world, I watched the remarkable footage when, 17 minutes later, González reached the 33 men below -- the hugs, backslaps, and laughter among men who all along have shown an incredible fortitude.
It looked like nobody wanted to be the first to leave what has become a special community locked away from the world but under its constant gaze.
The rescue team made two trial runs with the rocket-shaped capsule Fenix 2 (Phoenix 2), first to check the communications and then with a rescuer inside the cramped space, winching it down to within about 30 feet of the miners' refuge.
It was 11:19 p.m. local time (10:19 EST) when rescuer Manuel González finally stepped into the capsule to be winched down a narrow tube into the depths of San José mine.
Along with the rest of the world, I watched the remarkable footage when, 17 minutes later, González reached the 33 men below -- the hugs, backslaps, and laughter among men who all along have shown an incredible fortitude.
It looked like nobody wanted to be the first to leave what has become a special community locked away from the world but under its constant gaze.
Mining minister Laurence Golborne had promised us the
first miner would be rescued before the day was out, but it was already six
minutes before midnight when Florencio Avalos stepped into the capsule and his
ascent began.
We on the NOVA crew got to know the Avalos family soon after we arrived at Camp Hope. As we skirted nervously around the families, worried about trampling on too many raw emotions, Florencio's father Alfonso had invited us to drink maté with them.
They're a warm family of Mapuche origin from Colliguay, close to the epicenter of the powerful earthquake that struck on February 27 of this year.
As the rescue capsule was tortuously winched up, on the platform waiting with his wife Monica was Florencio's eight-year-old son Bayron.
Poor Bayron couldn't quite hold out.
As Florencio stepped out of the cage, Bayron let out a howl of grief before running to hug his father.
As I watched the moment in the press tent surrounded by hundreds of hardened newsmen and women, I noticed there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
We on the NOVA crew got to know the Avalos family soon after we arrived at Camp Hope. As we skirted nervously around the families, worried about trampling on too many raw emotions, Florencio's father Alfonso had invited us to drink maté with them.
They're a warm family of Mapuche origin from Colliguay, close to the epicenter of the powerful earthquake that struck on February 27 of this year.
As the rescue capsule was tortuously winched up, on the platform waiting with his wife Monica was Florencio's eight-year-old son Bayron.
Poor Bayron couldn't quite hold out.
As Florencio stepped out of the cage, Bayron let out a howl of grief before running to hug his father.
As I watched the moment in the press tent surrounded by hundreds of hardened newsmen and women, I noticed there wasn't a dry eye in the house.
October 27, 2010 7:21 PM
I thought the documentary was excellent except for two glaring omissions: there was no mention that six paramedics went down into the mine to help the trapped miners in their voyage to the surface(the last one to leave the mine is seen waving in an orange coverall in a short video), and that the miners had been provided with special sun glasses to protect their eyes.