Trapped Miners in Chile Stiill Alive Even After 18 Days

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SANTIAGO, CHILE (GaeaTimes.com) — Even after being trapped under more than 2,300 ft in a cave, 33 miners from Chilie are still full of good spirit and optimism. Singing the national anthem in a full-throated chorus, the miners thanked their rescuers and settled in for a long wait until a tunnel wide enough to pull them out can be carved through a half-mile of solid rock.

Amid wild celebrations, rescuers on Tuesday used plastic supply tubes, called “doves”, to deliver supplies to the miners who have lost significant weight since being trapped on Aug 5 with only limited food supplies. The miners are supplied with glucose and dehydration tablets to restore their digestive systems. Oxygen filled capsules are also provided through a six-inch (15 centimeter) bore hole to help the men survive the hot, stuffy, humid conditions in the lower reaches of the gold and copper mine.

But their ordeal, however, is far from over. Doctors warned the real challenge would be to maintain sanity of the miners during the four months that would be required to build an underground escape tunnel. Health ministry officials on Tuesday contacted NASA asking for technology and rations that could help the miners remain healthy, which the space agency was considering. .

Psychiatrists also began detailed assessments using relatives and medical files to try to and build a profile on the miners as they try to overcome boredom. Relatives of those trapped were keeping vigil in a makeshift settlement named “Camp Hope” as they sent messages of support underground.

Amazingly, the miners, who alerted the world to their survival at the weekend by passing a note through a shaft, survived on two mouthfuls of tuna, a biscuit and half a glass of milk every 48 hours. The group asked for “food, toothbrushes, a cold beer, peaches and something for their eyes” when rescuers made contact after delivering the first capsules, which take about an hour to descend from the surface.

Engineers have been working to reinforce the six-inch-wide borehole that broke through to the miners’ refuge during an operation hindered by the risk of a cave-ins.

In the mean time, Compania Minera San Esteban Primera, the private operator that owns the mine has been called in for investigation. Reportedly, the company has suffered a series of incidents in which 16 workers have been killed in recent years.

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