The "jackrabbit" has broken through to the miners (Chile)

[rabs]

Relatives of the trapped miners rejoice this morning.


At 8 a.m. this morning Chilean time the "Plan B" rescue shaft reached the miners at 622 meters below the surface. The T-130 drilling machine has been dubbed the "jackrabbit" by the Chileans.

It was exactly 33 days since the drilling began, one day for each of the 33 miners.

It is expected that the miners will begin emerging Tuesday or with luck Monday. Chilean authorities are taking every precaution to be certain there will be no accidents.

Loud horn was sounded, lots of hugs and cheering at "Camp Hope" which sprung up as the rescue operations began. Carabineros police said only authorized persons would be allowed to be present when the miners emerge. The whole country is watching.

Evo Morales is planning to be there. One of the miners is Bolivian. There are 32 Chilean and one Bolivian flags flying near the escape shaft.

http://www.lanacion.cl/rescate-en-su-recta-final-llego-a-mineros-el-plan-b/noticias/2010-10-09/085507.html

[Judi Lynn]

1. Very strange coincident, 33 days drilling, 33 miners. Wow. Who could have predicted this?

It's excellent to learn Evo Morales will attend the arrival of the miner from Bolivia back on top. Perfect response for someone who respects the working men/women of Bolivia.

Thanks for the info.

[rabs]

2. Video of the breakthrough moment at 8:05 a.m.

http://www.latercera.com/multimedia/video/2010/10/793-30692-4-terceratv-emocion-y-locura-en-el-campamento-esperanza.shtml

Should explain the term "jackrabbit". There is a small mini-bus in Chile that is called the "liebre," or jackrabbit. They are usually packed with people so one has only a small space in it. The metal cage that will extract the miners is about the space one has in a "liebre."

Note the faces of the family members. Life in the Atacama Desert is harsh.

[Judi Lynn]

4. I saw those faces, they are aging so quickly. I wondered if it's the dry desert air,

but it's probable their poverty also has something to do with it.

They really look so worn down: I'll bet none of them have had any adequate rest all this time waiting moment to moment for their loved ones. Hope they all get a good, long, long time to get some sleep, and start breathing again, and letting go of all this tension. They must all be exhausted, living on adrenalin, feeling really spacey!

Thanks for the video.

[Peace Patriot]

3. Thanks for the post! Rescue more likely Wednesday and it will go on for several days.

They had to do reinforcements of the long shaft (2 miles?) that the miners will be brought up through. Each trip will take an hour or more. Wed./Thurs., if there are no problems, hold-ups, repairs needed, etc. They've got to do 33 successful trips through that long, long, narrow shaft (plus test trips). (I read that a couple of rescue workers are going down first, to help the miners as they are rescued.) Very scary.

I'm glad to hear Evo's going to be there, for the Bolivian miner. Sorry I duped you on this. Didn't see your post. Ain't it great on those rare occasions in human history when politics gets put aside in a humane cause! (Pinera, a RW-er, inviting Evo to the rescue.)

:grouphug:

[rabs]

6. Evo has promised Carlos Mamani work in Bolivia

Details about the Bolivian. In words he is an abstract figure, so putting a face on him with details of his life.

The Bolivian's name is Carlos Mamani, 24. He has been in Chile for four years because he could not find stable work in Bolivia. He had only been working in the mine FIVE days before the cave-in. Married, one small daughter.

He started working in the mine to earn more money to buy his wife and daughter a home.

Veronica, his Bolivian wife, was received by Evo in La Paz after she complained about the Bolivian government indifferance to his plight. Veronica's father also worked at the mine and emerged from it about 20 minutes before the cave-in.

Mamani is a front-end loader operator, so he was in charge of carving out a hole to gather seepage water inside the tunnel days after the collapse.

http://www.emol.com/especiales/2010/coberturas-especiales/rescate_mineros/carlos_mamani.asp
Mamani pix: Click on fifth thumbnail to the right on the top row.

----------------

Related: Pinera arrived in Quito this morning and expressed his total support for Correa. They will also be signing commercial agreements and such that were in the pipeline before the attempted coup.

http://andes.info.ec/media/2010/10/Piñera-300x202.jpg
Pinera and Correa at the Carondelet Presidential Palace in Quito.

(edit to try to fix pinera pic link)

[Judi Lynn]

5. Test of rescue capsule goes smoothly in Chile mine rescue shaft

Test of rescue capsule goes smoothly in Chile mine rescue shaft
By EVA VERGARA and MICHAEL WARREN , Associated Press
Last update: October 11, 2010 - 10:35 AM

SAN JOSE MINE, Chile - The engineer leading Chilean rescue efforts says his team has successfully tested a rescue capsule nearly all the way down to where the miners are trapped.

Andres Sougarett says the empty capsule descended 2,000 feet (610 meters), just 46 feet (14 meters) short of the chamber where 33 miners have been trapped since an Aug. 5 collapse.

He said all would be in place at midnight Tuesday to begin the rescue.

Mining Minister Laurence Golborne told reporters Monday that the capsule performed very well in the hole — that it didn't even loosen any dust. He did not say why the capsule did not go to the bottom.

More:
http://www.startribune.com/business/104695119.html