Įsteban Rojas also knelt and prayed on arrival. “I never lost faith that they would find us,” he said. Gomez, who has worked as miner for 50 years, was helped out of the escape capsule, and immediately dropped to his knees to pray. He was brought to the surface breathing from an oxygen mask.

That man is thought to be the oldest, 63-year-old Mario Gomez, who suffers from the lung disease silicosis. The miners were whisked away for medical checkups and found to be in “more than satisfactory” health, except for one who has pneumonia and is being treated with antibiotics, the minister said. Scenes of jubilation erupted each time a miner arrived to a hero’s welcome above the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile’s northern Atacama desert. With 29 of the 33 miners freed in a rescue operation that advanced rapidly without hitches, officials expected to have the remaining men out by the end of the day instead of in 48 hours as originally estimated. One by one, the miners climbed into a specially designed steel capsule barely wider than a man’s shoulders and took a 15-minute journey through 2,050 feet (625 metres) of rock to the surface. * Minister says men in good shape, one has pneumonia (Updates with latest rescues, quotes, color)ĬOPIAPO, Chile, Oct 13 (Reuters) - Chile’s trapped miners were shuttled up a narrow escape shaft to freedom and joyous reunions on Wednesday in a meticulously planned rescue operation that ended their two-month ordeal deep underground. * Miners trapped for record 69 days after Aug 5 cave-in * Rescue operation advanced quickly without hitches * 29 miners hoisted to surface, last 5 to follow

Deadly feet update