Drilling begins for Chile miners rescue
Updated on 31 August 2010
Rescuers have begun drilling an escape shaft for the trapped miners in Chile, but continued to warn that it could take up to four months to bring the men back to the surface.
Drilling has begun in Copiapo in a bid to rescue 33 copper miners, trapped 700 metres underground by a cave-in.
But rescuers warned the attempt remains extremely complicated and could take months. A number of other options, which could rescue the men more quickly, are also being considered.
In the meantime, the Chilean government has turned to NASA and submarine experts for help on keeping the men physically and mentally fit for the wait ahead.
The trapped miners in the San Jose mine in Copiapo talked to their relatives on Sunday for the first time since they were found alive more than a week ago. Relatives have set up a camp above the mine as they wait for their relatives to return, called "Camp Hope".
One of the men, Ariel Ticona, asked his family to tape the imminent birth of his child.
So far, the miners seem to be doing relatively well, although some look thinner.
Their hot and humid shelter, about the size of a one-bedroom flat, holds all 33 of the prisoners, who range from a first-time teenage miner to an ex-football star.
Images from the shelter show the men have organised the area into designated "rooms" for sleep and card games but doctors have recommended they move deeper into the mine to reduce exposure to the humidity, which could cause disease or fungus.
