A "miraculous" drama and one of the world's most ambitious rescue operations is under way in Chile, a country on the opposite side of the world from South Korea.
Reports from Copiapo, Chile, say the 33 trapped miners are set to travel nearly half a mile to the surface in a shaft just wider than a man's shoulders from the hot and humid bowels of a small gold and copper mine in Chile's far northern Atacama desert, where they have struggled to live for 68 days since the collapse of the mine on Aug. 5.
The "extraction" of the miners will start at midnight Tuesday (local time) and is estimated to take 48 hours to rescue all 33 miners from the tunnel via a specially-made capsule dubbed "Phoenix" after the mythical bird that is said to rise from the ashes.
It is a miracle that all of the men have stayed alive for more than two months, setting a world record for the length of time miners have survived underground after a mining accident. Now, people all across the world will attentively wait for the moment that the last miner is rescued.
The miners were first found alive 17 days after the collapse through a bore hole which then became an umbilical cord used to pass hydration gels, water and food to keep them alive thus far. The miners let the outside world know of their survival by tying a slip of paper with a handwritten message to the drill tip.
The heroic 33 have survived through this heart-moving drama, displaying their indomitable spirits and comradeship under extreme conditions. During their agonizing wait, the miners expressed gratitude to outside rescuers. They even made concessions in riding the capsule to other miners.
Still, there remains some difficulties in the final process of rescue work, including fall out of stones through the tunnel or unexpected health problems, but we expect that these heroes will overcome any difficulties as they have already survived countless obstacles.
We would like to join the people of Korea in cheering for the safe return of the Chilean miners with hope for a happy ending to the human drama in Chile.