Chile drilling advances

The crew drilling one of three shafts attempting to reach 33 miners trapped deep underground in northern Chile is making fast progress, officials said, and could reach the miners by early next week.

The T-130 drill, part of an effort dubbed “Plan B,” burrowed 53 metres in 16 hours and is a mere 100 metres from a chamber the trapped miners can access, said Andre Sougarret, the engineer in charge of rescue operations.

The news raised hopes among relatives camped on the surface that the trapped miners could be out by early next week.

Mr Sougarret, however, was cautious about setting a time frame because work was entering a delicate phase.

Drilling operations have been paused and will resume at a slower pace because it will be is boring down a mere metre away from a separate corridor inside the mine. If the corridor is breached it could create problems for the rescue operation, Mr Sougarret said.