Chile's trapped miners cheer as drill punches in

[redirish28]

Chile's trapped miners cheered and embraced each other Saturday as a drill punched into their underground chamber, opening a way out with a spray of rock and dust from the collapsed mine where they have been stuck for an agonizing 66 days.

More than 2,000 feet (610 meters) above them, rescue workers also celebrated, dancing and spraying champagne with such excitement that hardhats tumbled off their heads.

Family members chanted and waved flags, then everyone braced for the next challenge: Rescuers must decide whether it's riskier to pull the 33 miners directly up through unreinforced rock, or to insert tons of heavy steel pipe into the curved shaft in an attempt to protect them. The answer will determine whether their pullout begins Tuesday, or up to a week later.

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Amazing... A mine collapses in Chili and after 66 days the miners are alive and waiting rescue. A mine collapses in the United States and more often than not we are recovering bodies....

America the Super power and best democracy with Capitalism as its main stay and death is the end results of these collapses.

Chili (as a friend's daughter's text book is teaching her...) an unstable government with thieves and dictators keeping the people oppressed and they have hope of life for those miners...

Something is seriously wrong with our way of thinking and teaching and worker's safety.

May those workers see sunlight soon.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. This has been an amazing effort.

I am holding my breath every time I read something about the rescue...

This is wonderful news!

I hope they will install the heavy steel pipe; it will make moving the miners out safely much more feasible.

And yes, I too wonder about mine safety in their country vs. ours. Something sure as hell is seriously wrong...

Recommended.

[shanti]

2. yay!

i've been thinking of these guys and their horrific ordeal. i'm glad it's almost over!

[madmax]

3. What an amazing story

It's not over so we'll keep hope alive that this continues to go as well as it has been. Safely, slowly and with a little luck, a lot of good vibes, prayers, and those who believe in whatever you believe in keep it going.

Many of us have become, in spirit a part of this and care about these men and their families.

[NutmegYankee]

4. Miners in the US were rescued in a similar method a few years back

This has nothing to due with the country and everything to due with luck. The miners all made it to a shelter where they could find food and water until resupplied from above. There was a similar case in PA where a mine flooded and the men were rescued by drilling down. The difference is the depth, which was far shorter for the coal mine in PA.

On the cool side, the drill used to create the exit shaft was American made.

Lets hope for a safe and swift escape.

[madmax]

7. Love it dear heart

you can still find postive things to say about this country. I'm too far around the bend and it saddens me that I have lost so much respect and love for my the land of my birth.

Honestly, I mean this with my heart. Not a snarky post. :hug:

[sabrina 1]

5. Here life is expendable.

We have become accustomed to it. In other countries, they care about their citizens lives. I remember when the first Italian soldier was killed in Iraq. There was a huge funeral shown on tv and the whole country mourned.

Same thing in Canada at the time. Here, no one was allowed to even see the caskets returning. And all we saw in the news was 'two soldiers killed in Iraq today' and then on to the latest news on some bimbo from the entertainment world.

How many people in this country even mentioned the 11 men killed in the BP explosion? I searched for an article to try to find out who they were, days after it happened. I finally found one and posted here as an OP. Weeks later Anderson Cooper, to his credit, did a show on the families. Then they were forgotten again.

Money trumps everything in the U.S. Dead workers are a distraction. And it costs money to keep them safe.

Good for Chile for the efforts they have made to keep those men alive.

[regnaD kciN]

6. You're somewhat undercutting your credibility...

...by not knowing the difference between "Chili" and "Chile." :eyes: