Families on tenterhooks as delicate miners' rescue approaches

The imminent rescue of 33 miners marks the end of an unprecedented ordeal -- not just for the men who have been underground for more than two months, but also for their families who have kept a constant vigil for their safe return.

The delicate and lengthy process of lifting each man out one by one is to commence early tomorrow morning, according to Mines Minister Laurence Golborne.

Rescue workers yesterday completed tests using the steel capsule some 53 centimeters (20 inches) in diameter that will lift each miner out of the ground, a process that could take 48 hours to complete.

"It would be wonderful if it was a little bit earlier, but we will take all the time we need," Golborne said.

The miners have set a new record for surviving such accidents, but as their planned rescue neared, they began to show signs of impatience and anxiety about the operation.

"He is anxious for the day to arrive when he leaves, like all his colleagues. They are praying to ease the tension," said Alberto Segovia, who spoke at the weekend with his brother Dario Segovia via videolink.

"He doesn't want to be the first, because he's afraid. No one wants to be the first. Can you imagine being brought up 700 meters?"

Another miner, Mario Gomez, was also "nervous, because of what they are all going through. There is a mix of heightened emotions down there, lots of anguish and joy," said Rossana Gomez.

The men, 32 Chileans and one Bolivian, have been trapped underground since the San Jose mine gold and copper mine in northern Chile collapsed on August 5, blocking the exit.

Earlier Monday, after engineers had reinforced a new rescue shaft with steel tubing, the 53-centimeter (21-inch) wide rescue capsule was lowered down 610 meters (1,830 feet) for the first time in a successful dry run, Golborne said.

Each miner will be pulled up in a container barely wider than their shoulders, and it could take around an hour or more for them to reach the surface, meaning the operation could last up to two days.

Some of the men were breaking out into a cold sweat at the thought of having to climb into the narrow capsule and be hauled to the surface by a system of pulleys and winches.

"He is very happy, but he is afraid of the capsule, and he has become very nervous," said Clarina Segovia, the sister of miner Victor Segovia.

Though officials have refused to say in what order the men will emerge, they have said the first group to exit will include some of the strongest men.

Those with chronic health problems including high blood pressure or respiratory ailments will go next, followed by a final group of healthy miners.

Before the rescue begins, two mining experts and two Marine nurses will go into the mine and determine in which order the men will come out.

The 33 will be checked by a doctor as soon as they emerge, and spend two hours getting emergency medical attention in a "stabilization zone" near the rescue shaft.

They will be allowed to meet with two or three of their relatives, before being transferred to Copiapo hospital by helicopter, where they will undergo a thorough medical evaluation expected to last at least two days.

The men have been trapped deep beneath the desert floor in a chamber the size of a living room.

In their subterranean shelter, they have spent the time exercising, praying, reading and working.

They are also being given special training by a journalist who is peppering them with complicated and indiscreet questions, in a bid to prepare them for the media circus awaiting them on the surface. But they are unlikely to give any immediate itnerviews.

"They have indicated that they want first to see their families," said Alejandro Pino, a journalist who has been in daily contact with the miners and advising them on handling interviews.

"Afterward, they will be available to answer questions from the national and international media."

An estimated 1,700 journalists and camera crews from around the world have converged on the mine, hoping to capture the first images of the miners at the surface.