Chile Miners Rescued: All 33 Found Alive After Being Trapped Underground For 17 Days
SANTIAGO, Chile — Chile's president euphorically waved the note, written deep inside a collapsed mine, that his country waited 17 agonizing days to see: "All 33 of us are fine in the shelter," one of the trapped miners wrote in red letters.
Authorities and relatives of the miners hugged, climbed a nearby hill, planted 33 flags and sang the national anthem Sunday after a probe sent some 2,257 feet (688 meters) deep into the mine came back with the note. "Today all of Chile is crying with excitement and joy," President Sebastian Pinera said.
The miners' ordeal may have just begun: Rescuers say it could take four months – until around Christmas – to get them out.