Last trapped miner pulled to surface in Chile

Two months... unbelievable.

Good luck guys!

Wouldn't you know it - the first guys to reach the miners were Americans.

Michelle Malkin writes:

"In a different day and age, Jeff Hart would be the most famous American in our country right now. He would be honored at the White House. Schoolchildren would learn of his skill and heroism.

"Jeff Hart is a driller based in my home state of Colorado. The father of two has been drilling water wells in Afghanistan at U.S. Army bases. When the San Jose Mine in Chile collapsed in August, he flew to lend his renowned expertise to the rescue effort. As part of an amazing three-way race to the trapped miners, Hart drilled for 33 days straight and was first to reach the caved-in workers. The AP recounts the story — and what strikes me again and again is how the world turned to American ingenuity and American fortitude and American equipment and American enterprise to get the job done.

TimRussert: "Wouldn't you know it - the first guys to reach the miners were Americans."

Are you so insecure you have to make everything about you? Technically anyone from the two continents would qualify, but my guess is you wanted to point out that someone from the USA is not being rightfully recognized. It'll be interesting to watch you dance when the man IS recognized. If Obama congratulates him you're going to be screwed! So for now let's just recognize this for what it is -- amazing. Instead if making this some right-wing blog issue, let's recognize the act instead of trying to focus solely on the person doing it for political purposes.

If we're talking about thoroughly selfless individuals, my vote goes to Gonzales and Ros, the men who went down in the capsule to join the trapped men and help them out. When they're talking about the strength of character needed to reach the surface, danger of panic attacks, etc., imagine volunteering to make the journey twice, down and then up. Mind-boggling.

And of course everyone involved in the rescue deserves praise for the part they played. Well done, to the whole team.

Still keeping my fingers crossed that there are no hitches and everyone gets out safely.

WAY TO GO CHILE....

5 rescued,28 more to be pulled up in next 48 hours...WAY TO GO

Thanks be to God and the rescuers.

Amazing. I can't even begin to imagine being trapped under 2000 feet of rock for TWO MONTHS. The fact that this is coming to a happy conclusion is making me want to sing and dance!

It's currently on the news ... fascinating to watch ...

Back home 26 years ago I was once lowered several metres head first into and old well to rescue a child that was trapped in it and then again lowered into another hole spending 4 hours underground as part of my countries contribution after the Mexico city earthquake in 85 and in both those cases I had never been more scared in my life not before and not since.

To be trapped for 69 days and then have to be pulled up through a 60 cm mostly dirt hole for over 600 metres I think I would Sh!t my pants.

As crazy and young as I was back then I don't think I would have had the guts of the rescuers that are now down in that hole and will have to again endure that 600+ metre journey.

These miners are brave and all those who helped in the rescue deserve a round of applause but the guys who volunteered to go down are by far the crazies and bravest!

Gods speed!

Agree, kudos to the recuers that went down willingly, knowing that if things go sour they would be trapped too.

Noticed they already replaced the wheels on "Fenix" hope they got enough stock of those to get everyone out.

Thx, to everyone involved and hope things keep going smooth.

8 up, 27 to go

May God bless all miners, families, and all rescue team members! After 68 days, this is a miracle. It is a grace of God in humanity.

It should be Chile's national shame; lax regulations and a a long history of preventable mining accidents with no union to force mine owners to improve safety caused this.

I am very happy for Jeff Hart-US driller. He is from Denver, my home town.

Amazing,Jeff Hart spent the next STREIGHT 33 days on his feet, operating the drill that finally provided a way out Saturday for 33 trapped miners.

I helped my neighbor drilling and cracking cement driveway for a couple hours, well next day my arms, legs and back became sooo stiff, I ended up in bed all day.

Jeff is amazing. His precision work, tenaciousness, determination, and committment for this mission have been highly recognized and appreciated.

HA HA HA.. Why do you have to remark that they are american? are you so insecure?

indeed, I prefer to applaud those NASA guys that went there to help them to cope (psychologically speaking)...

Such an emotional moment... ~sigh

9 up, 26 to go.

Cleo:"If we're talking about thoroughly selfless individuals, my vote goes to Gonzales and Ros"

ditto that!

When they announce sometime tomorrow or Friday that the last one is safely out, I think I'm going to open a nice bottle of Chilean red.

10 up.

Great idea, Cleo! I think I will join you in that, and with a special toast to Gonzales and Ros!

Good news!

Very good news but I can't imagine having to spend that long in the dark underground.

Wow, great news so far awesome! Got my fingers crossed everyone comes back top side!

Now to TimR & GlobalW............couple of embarassments to mankind & my friends in the US............

It is being reported that this whole event is now causing trouble in China as people are Twittering (well the Chinese equivalent) and asking why Chile can do this and ask the world for help and China with its dismal safety record and numerous mining accidents doesn't put the same effort.

They have also remarked that when men are rescued they must thank the government officials for their rescue before doing anything else unlike Chile where they first greeted their families and then the rescuers and only then did the president get his time as well as the fact the president was there on hand.

Yeah, there's a big difference between China and Chile. I'm sure the miners are happy about that. I'd bet that in China they would have been written off as dead and left there.

I can't imagine being stuck down there for so long. Those guys have done well for themselves and I hope they get a chance to relax and enjoy some time to unwind.

Those guys have done well for themselves and I hope they get a chance to relax and enjoy some time to unwind.

These guys are set for life. Book and Movie deals, Television Commercials,etc. And they sure deserve it! I wish these guys never have to work again and just enjoy life with family.

It should be Chile's national shame; lax regulations and a a long history of preventable mining accidents with no union to force mine owners to improve safety caused this.

Always someone to poop the celebration and joy on the day 33 lives are saved.

For once good news!

It is worth noting that missing among the crowd greeting the rescued miners are the mine owners/operators. They are nowhere to be found.

They are primarily responsible for the unsafe conditions which led to this near-disaster. This should not be forgotten in the joy of the moment.

It's now 28 back up, but I'm afraid the last two will have a big fight over who gets to be last, ha ha!

It is being reported that this whole event is now causing trouble in China

I bet that it probably is. What's probably more important, what is being mined here? Many Chinese companies are buying up majority stakes in mines, and get the first choice in loads that are being brought up and sent to China. You would think with all of the mine problems in China, they would have a better emergency response system.

It was reported that one of the miners had a wife and a mistress waiting for him. I wonder did the mistress show up with the wife, or did he opt to be the last one out of the mine.

yabits, one of the miners echoed your thoughts almost 100% as soon as he got out of the mine. Great minds think alike, eh?

Nice to see that there was flawless execution in the end. But an ounce of prevention...

ca1ic0cat:"Nice to see that there was flawless execution in the end. But an ounce of prevention..."

The thing about this mine is that is has been more or less in continuous use since 1885 and the company running it has a bad record because the yield is low and they were trying to maximize their earnings.

With gold prices the way they are many such mines have reopened and I will not be surprised to see more accidents of this sort in the future.

The miners’ vital signs were closely monitored throughout the ride. They were given a high-calorie liquid diet donated by NASA, designed to prevent nausea from any rotation of the capsule as it travels through curves in the 28-inch-diameter escape hole.

Been reading up on NASA's contributions here. Pretty amazing how an agency concerned with the cutting edge of outer space travel has so much to contribute in an emergency involving men trapped 2000 feet beneath solid rock.

only two to go.... plus the rescuers

Just 2 more,to Success of Chile's Mission Rescue, at Chile's San Jose Mine. 31st person to be rescued is Pedro Cortez....

Been reading up on NASA's contributions here. Pretty amazing how an agency concerned with the cutting edge of outer space travel has so much to contribute in an emergency involving men trapped 2000 feet beneath solid rock.

TimRussert, I guess it is one good thing about US Government spending, doing research work on various aspects of the space program, and more important, having a country where it is possible by using a little free thinking and free enterprise to apply this research to real world applications.

At least Chile sought out and accepted the help, and didn't do what places like China would have done, ignored the offers of help, and just wrote off the 33 persons.

BTW, Jaxa was also involved. Seems like quiet the multinational effort to get them out.

Last Miner is up, 2 Rescuer to go.

the last one came out!!!!! Luis Urzua....

Notice that this mine was non-union, and that all of the rescue equipment came from the union mines in Chile. This was an unregulated mine and the government had a hands off policy. It had a sucko safety record. Now-question of the day. Will this disaster change any behavior? Will mine safety improve THROUGHOUT Chile and even the world? Will people LEARN from this? I doubt it. Copper is a money maker, and the profiteers behind it are not about to let something as stupid as safety get in the way. when the last miner is up, this particular mining company will seal it--as to prevent any evidence being taken and then declare bankruptcy. Way to go capitalism.

Not going to start celebrating till the Rescuers are up too.

No more to rescue ,at Chile's San Jose Mine......

This is the best news of 2010!!!!!

I hate the way the Chilean President has jumped onto this rescue bandwagon and milked it for all it's worth. Instead of rejoicing he should be apologising for the unsafe conditions that all miners in Chile have to work under. This accident is his responsibility to deal with and he should be using the word sorry instead of waving his Chilean flag all over the news. Kind of disgraceful that he has taken a potentially grieving incident and turned it into media spin. Glad they all made it out and the rescue teams too.

if surviving adversity and keeping yourself alive is considered heroic, then isn't everyone a hero? and if everyone is a heroic, then what is so heroic about being a hero?

Omedeto!!!

AWESOME!!!

@JoiceRojo

HA HA HA.. Why do you have to remark that they are american? are you so insecure?

Weired!! Some always have something negative to say who worked hard a good cause in humanity.

I think that was one of the smoothest and fastest rescues(given parameters) I have seen so far.

Kudos to all the rescuers and the people underground toughing it out. Still a long road for the rescued people to recover phsycially and emotionally, hope the ticket, trips and money they will get help.

Hrm, still no word on the 2 rescuers that were still down there, too much focus on the Miners, IMHO. Not enough on the Rescuers who worked hard for long hours.

Forgot, hope those miners get sorted out with lovers and wifes attending. :P

So are Antonio Bandaras and Bruce Willis going to be in the movie?

@globalwatcher It's not that, I appreciate the effort of those experts, but there are many people that are from different countries and they are not recognized because they are Americans, or because the capsule was German design or that the other drill was Australian.

Geotec Boyles bros, is a firm has been in Chile since 1961... I'm proud of them because my brother-in-law works for that company here in the Antofagasta Region, so it is not animosity towards them, I said before, I appreciate the work of mr Hart, but I prefer to give more recognition to the people from NASA that came to help.

What a dangerous job. These accidents occur all the time. The world didn't start paying attention untl it happened in Virginia, US and was the dominent news on CNN. Now every mining accident gets full attention.

@JoiceRojo Thank yo for clarification of your comment. I agree with you. Let us rejoice and celebrate for all who were saved and saving them. They are all safe now, that counts!!

northlondonistan:

" I hate the way the Chilean President has jumped onto this rescue bandwagon and milked it for all it's worth. "

Think other presidents would have done differently??

Everyone is out. Such a great effort by all. Will toast to them later on this evening.

The Rescuers also been confirmed to be out yet?

I agree with Northlondon. Will the President be able to keep his word...?

I hate the way the Chilean President has jumped onto this rescue bandwagon and milked it for all it's worth. Instead of rejoicing he should be apologising for the unsafe conditions that all miners in Chile have to work under. This accident is his responsibility to deal with and he should be using the word sorry instead of waving his Chilean flag all over the news. Kind of disgraceful that he has taken a potentially grieving incident and turned it into media spin. Glad they all made it out and the rescue teams too.

Yup, everyone's out. Woo Hoo!

Northlondon, try not to hate el presidente. He was just voted in a short time ago and has ordered an overhaul of the countries mining safety.

Chilean wine will be consumed tonight!!! A toast to the rescuers, too! Glad everyone is out safely and wish them the best!

So are they all going to Disneyland?

Good, boring news with happy end.

Bet you that the company declares bankruptcy this week to avoid having to pay for the rescue and for back pay for the miners and for the coming lawsuits. Place your bets boys and girls.

The Government paid for the rescue.

American technology #1.

why so much coverage..we knew from day 1 they all were okay..it was always just a matter of drilling and pulling them out.thats all.

Wish it would be just as easy as saying "drilling an pulling them out".

The rescue was a great achievement and went way faster and smoother than planned. And yet things could have gone wrong at anyone time costing lives, etc.

I am glad to hear that all miners made it safer to the ground. And may God bless you all. Chile the whole world loves you and I am very happy.

"The world didn't start paying attention untl it happened in Virginia, US and was the dominent news on CNN"

sorry i missed that one... maybe because it was only on cnn and not on the world stage.

Northlondon...I for one am glad to see that the president spun it into what it should be: something to be overjoyed about! It is all about the miners and the rescuers who gave selflessly and in some cases risked their own lives to help and it is about the fact that every one of these people made it out alive. Celebrating and being exuberant over such a thing was the right way to be. President could have easily turned it into something political, promoting himself and his policies with regard to overhauling mine safety, etc. The duration of the rescue was neither the time nor place for that and the president allowed himself to be as swept away by the joy of it all as other people were. May more leaders be like him.

This was done with American technology? Why are they not raising American flags?

Bravo for Chile!

avenger said:

This was done with American technology? Why are they not raising American flags?

The chilean flag is almost the same as the texan one, that's no enough for you? ;-)

"This was done with American technology? Why are they not raising American flags?"

American technology was used to drill the rescue shaft. But the rest of the operation was basically Chilean. Kudos to everyone involved.

Also the rescued miners didn't stink as badly as they would have, thanks to the cool underwear the Japanese sent them, plus, they were feeling genkier than they would have, thanks to the kuroame sweets the Japanese sent them.

Bet you that the company declares bankruptcy this week to avoid having to pay for the rescue and for back pay for the miners and for the coming lawsuits.

The real drama about this near-disaster is just beginning. (And may its ripple-effects reverberate around the world!)

Oh could we stop with all the crap about USA technology or Chilean or Timbuktu!

If you would all do little reading you will find that it was truly a world effort The Australians designed the rigging and capsule the Chilean navy built it Canada was there Drilling and if you want to boast about the USA it had a 15 day head start on the Canadian team which at the time of the USA team breakthrough was only 150 meters away so really who cares!

Many countries contributed but it seems only certain Americans seem to feel the needs to boast.

Why can't we just be thankful it all ended well and leave it at that!

This news is already old material and very confusing. JapanToday needs to do better job improving a speed of news.

@limboinjapan - USA! USA! USA! Ha ha ha! Congratulations to all involved in this rescue.

Hey, clods, don't forget one of the cranes used was from Shang Hai. Yay, Shang Hai.

@sarge <<Also the rescued miners didn't stink as badly as they would have, thanks to the cool underwear the Japanese sent them, plus, they were feeling genkier than they would have, thanks to the kuroame sweets the Japanese sent them.>>

Hahaha, you made my day sarge!... although the mayority of health problems were mouth (dental) problems... maybe there were too much sweets....

@Sarge

Just enjoy this beautifl story in humanity. Can yo do that, please?

@globalwatcher - You must have missed my "Congratulations to all involved in this rescue."

Absolutely fantastic! Best thing I've read about in ages, and look forward to reading more about it. Great for Chile!

As for the US? I'm sure the miners are grateful. In Japanese TV shows the "doriraa" got lots of great pariase. He and his family and the whole country can be proud. I'd shout him a drink if I met him too!

The only thing that amazes me is that anyone can find anything to argue about. But that's JT I suppose.

Good on the Chileans for accepting help from the best in the world and still being so proud of themselves. Let's hope Japan will be able to do the same in the future.

"pariase"? See that's what impresses me. Those guys can survive for more than two months, and they can drill down 600 meters plus and pull them out, and I can't even type "praise".

""Why are they not raising American flags"" because its IN CHILE. also i dont see where Flags come in if it was US we would have been critisized. They are Humans & it was about rescuing People. did this help chile & the president get more Reconized? YES. Im Very Glad they ALL made it out & are back with their Families

Dont get me wrong i study Flags vexillology. so its good that had their Flag More people see & will reconize it. Yeah it looks like the Texas Flag.

Mad props to the engineers & planners who devised this rescue plan. I'm a little leery when they call the miners HEROES. Heck, they were sitting ducks down there and they owe huge THANKS to the rescuers above and not St. Lorenzo.

Oh could we stop with all the crap about USA technology or Chilean or Timbuktu!

limboinjapan, I bet that if the designer of the rescue system had been from Japan, the company and the person would be instant stars, and there would be numerous articles on how Japan is coming back to the world stage as a leader in innovation and industry.

American technology , gettin her done.

Heck, they were sitting ducks down there and they owe huge THANKS to the rescuers above and not St. Lorenzo.

They were not. They had to work too, clraring the debris that the drill was making

How about we not raise any flags? This is naught to do with politics or countries, but rather a careless company and some hard-working, skillful and responsible human beings. Rub them as you might, their luster is not going to stick to you, sorry to all you flag waving losers out there.

President Barack Obama said the rescue had “inspired the world.” The crews included many Americans, including a driller operator from Denver and a team from Center Rock Inc of Berlin, Pa, that built and managed the piston-driven hammers that pounded the hole through rock laced with quartzite, some of the hardest and most abrasive rock.

Job well done.