Chilean rescue workers are making final preparations for the release of 33 miners trapped more than 600 meters (1,970 feet) underground for two months.
Officials plan to start the rescue at midnight after a drill reached the tunnels that have been home to the miners since Aug. 5, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne told reporters at the site yesterday. The operation may start earlier if all preparations are successfully completed, Golborne said.
“What began as a possible tragedy, we hope -- and thank God -- seems to be ending as a true blessing,” Chilean President Sebastian Pinera told reporters yesterday in Quito after meeting his Ecuadorean counterpart.
Rescuers completed practice runs yesterday in which they rehearsed the extraction and transportation of the miners to a nearby hospital, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said. Medical workers are focused on ensuring that the miners are prepared to rise to the surface in a process that could prove physically and emotionally stressful, he told reporters.
Four rescue workers will travel down the well to assist from the underground tunnels, remaining until after the last miner has resurfaced, Manalich said.
The miners will be split into three groups for the rescue. The first group will provide information to rescuers and possibly help with the operation, the health minister said. The weakest will then come out, followed by the rest.
Rich in Minerals
The 33 men, who are eating meals rich in minerals and protein to prevent nausea and stabilize blood pressure during the ascent, are being examined remotely by medical officials on the surface. Ten have been identified by medical authorities as being the most in need of special care, Manalich said.
They’ll wear elastic bands on their lower extremities and a waistband during the 15- to 20-minute ascent that will help ensure proper blood circulation and prevent a reduction in arterial pressure and possible fainting, the health minister said. Rescue workers will supply the miners with emergency oxygen in case dust on the ascent causes breathing problems.
Chilean state-run Codelco, BHP Billiton Ltd. and other mining companies, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have assisted in what has become the world’s longest-ever mine rescue.
“Codelco has been playing a very important role,” Chief Executive Officer Diego Hernandez said in an interview today from London. “It’s very important for the mining industry and for the country of course to have a safe rescue.”
‘Media Frenzy’
The 33 men will face more than 1,000 representatives of Chilean and international media when they reach the surface. Family members camping out in the Atacama desert have obtained lawyers and received book and film offers, said Arnoldo Plaza Vega, 46, whose cousin is among the men trapped inside the mine.
Chile’s government has given the men media training, conducting classes over phone lines threaded through drill holes almost half a mile underground.
“It’s hard to grasp how strange it is to come out of a black hole in the ground for weeks or months into this sort of media frenzy,” said Jeff Goodell, whose book about nine Pennsylvania miners trapped for 77 hours was a New York Times bestseller. “The shock of coming into this media spotlight is almost bigger than the shock of being trapped underground.”
Europe Invitations
Already, the men have been invited to make appearances in Spain, England and Greece, and mining entrepreneur Leonardo Farkas appeared on Chilean television promising each of the miners 5 million pesos ($10,400). Their net annual wages range from 3.8 million pesos to 9 million pesos, said Darinka Darce, a friend of trapped miner Jimmy Sanchez’s family.
The television rights to the miners’ story could be worth as much as $10,000 upfront and $50,000 to $100,000 at the time of production, said Scott Manville, founder of TVFilmRights.com, an online marketplace for buying and selling the rights to real- life stories. The movie rights could eventually come with a “purchase price” of $100,000 to $500,000, Manville said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Some families are in talks for exclusive rights to post- rescue interviews, Plaza said.
“I’ve heard of some offers for around $20,000 for the first television interview,” he said.
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“What began as a possible tragedy, we hope -- and thank God -- seems to be ending as a true blessing,” Chilean President Sebastian Pinera told reporters yesterday in Quito after meeting his Ecuadorean counterpart.
Rescuers completed practice runs yesterday in which they rehearsed the extraction and transportation of the miners to a nearby hospital, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said. Medical workers are focused on ensuring that the miners are prepared to rise to the surface in a process that could prove physically and emotionally stressful, he told reporters.
Four rescue workers will travel down the well to assist from the underground tunnels, remaining until after the last miner has resurfaced, Manalich said.
The miners will be split into three groups for the rescue. The first group will provide information to rescuers and possibly help with the operation, the health minister said. The weakest will then come out, followed by the rest.
Rich in Minerals
The 33 men, who are eating meals rich in minerals and protein to prevent nausea and stabilize blood pressure during the ascent, are being examined remotely by medical officials on the surface. Ten have been identified by medical authorities as being the most in need of special care, Manalich said.
They’ll wear elastic bands on their lower extremities and a waistband during the 15- to 20-minute ascent that will help ensure proper blood circulation and prevent a reduction in arterial pressure and possible fainting, the health minister said. Rescue workers will supply the miners with emergency oxygen in case dust on the ascent causes breathing problems.
Chilean state-run Codelco, BHP Billiton Ltd. and other mining companies, as well as the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, have assisted in what has become the world’s longest-ever mine rescue.
“Codelco has been playing a very important role,” Chief Executive Officer Diego Hernandez said in an interview today from London. “It’s very important for the mining industry and for the country of course to have a safe rescue.”
‘Media Frenzy’
The 33 men will face more than 1,000 representatives of Chilean and international media when they reach the surface. Family members camping out in the Atacama desert have obtained lawyers and received book and film offers, said Arnoldo Plaza Vega, 46, whose cousin is among the men trapped inside the mine.
Chile’s government has given the men media training, conducting classes over phone lines threaded through drill holes almost half a mile underground.
“It’s hard to grasp how strange it is to come out of a black hole in the ground for weeks or months into this sort of media frenzy,” said Jeff Goodell, whose book about nine Pennsylvania miners trapped for 77 hours was a New York Times bestseller. “The shock of coming into this media spotlight is almost bigger than the shock of being trapped underground.”
Europe Invitations
Already, the men have been invited to make appearances in Spain, England and Greece, and mining entrepreneur Leonardo Farkas appeared on Chilean television promising each of the miners 5 million pesos ($10,400). Their net annual wages range from 3.8 million pesos to 9 million pesos, said Darinka Darce, a friend of trapped miner Jimmy Sanchez’s family.
The television rights to the miners’ story could be worth as much as $10,000 upfront and $50,000 to $100,000 at the time of production, said Scott Manville, founder of TVFilmRights.com, an online marketplace for buying and selling the rights to real- life stories. The movie rights could eventually come with a “purchase price” of $100,000 to $500,000, Manville said in an e-mailed response to questions.
Some families are in talks for exclusive rights to post- rescue interviews, Plaza said.
“I’ve heard of some offers for around $20,000 for the first television interview,” he said.
http://jodnet.blogspot.com
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