Copiapo, Chile (CNN) -- Hope dawned with the new day Wednesday as a red, white and blue capsule lifted miners from the dark bowels of the earth into the light.
For 69 harrowing days, the 33 miners trapped in the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile waited for their ascent to freedom. And as the first of the lot made the bumpy ride to the surface through half a mile of rock, the jubilant cries of a nation rang out.
Eager family members and anxious strangers from around the world bit their lips in anticipation as the rescue began in the intense chill of the desert night.
Sixteen minutes later, they broke out in cheers and chants of "Chile!" as Florencio Avalos was the first to step out from the "Fenix" capsule, named for the mythical bird that rose from ashes.
In the capital, Santiago, hundreds wept and embraced as they watched the rescue on a flickering big screen TV set up in a square. Corks popped and champagne flowed at the Chilean embassy in Washington.
The scene repeated itself as more and more miners arrived. Around the world, people -- unrelated to the miners -- sat glued to their television sets.
Gallery: Breakthrough at Chile mine "I mentioned on Twitter how 41 years ago the world watched men walk on the moon," said Connie Preti of New York. "Today we are seeing men come out from the earth. It's equally striking."
Each round trip in the 924-pound Fenix capsule took about 50 minutes, meaning the last miner should reach the surface sometime Thursday.
Health Minister Jaime Manalich said the rescue was proceeding according to plan and "going extraordinarily well so far." He said the miners were generally in good health.
"We have had very, very minor problems," Manalich said.
Avalos beamed as his feet touched the surface under which he was trapped for more than two months. He cradled his son and wife before Chilean President Sebastian Pinera bear-hugged him.
"We had promised to look until we found them," Pinera said. "We can all feel proud to be Chilean."
Avalos appeared strong, walking without help, embracing many of the rescue workers who witnessed his arrival. He was then put on a gurney and wheeled away for an examination by doctors.
The 31-year-old miner became a cameraman during the isolation, filming videos of the miners to be sent up to rescuers and relatives at the surface. His brother, Renan Silva, is also trapped in the mine.
"I'm overwhelmed with emotion because it's been so long since we have seen him," Alfonso Avalos, Florencio's father, told Chile's TVN. "I'm very proud of him. Thanks to God he got out and looks good."
As the second miner, Mario Sepulveda, exited the rescue hole, he reached into a large yellow bag and handed out what appeared to be rocks to officials and rescue workers.
Sepulveda cracked jokes and led the crowd in a cheer for Chile. As the 40-year-old was hauled away on a stretcher for medical evaluation, he asked his wife, "How's the dog?"
Later, sitting beside family members, Sepulveda pushed for better work conditions in Chile's mines, but also said he wants to keep working.
"Things can't stay the way they've been," he said. "Many changes must be made."
Amid the sea of Chilean flags greeting the emerging miners was a collection of small, handheld Bolivian flags for Carlos Mamani, the lone Bolivian miner.
His family back home was restrained for much of the morning while watching the rescue on TV. But they jumped up and clapped when they saw him kneel on the ground
We had promised to look until we found them. We can all feel proud to be Chilean.
--Chilean President Sebastian Pinera
RELATED TOPICS
Chile
Mining Accidents and Disasters
Sebastian Pinera
Next up was the youngest of the lot: Jimmy Sanchez, a 19-year-old who worked as an environmental assistant -- and the father of a newborn girl.
And so it went early Wednesday, and so it will go throughout the day.
The trapped miners will put on green coveralls made of moisture-resisting material and personalized with names like Raul Bustos. Juan Illanes. Alex Vega.
They will climb into a claustrophobic capsule only a little wider than the span of their shoulders. They will be instructed on the communications equipment and the oxygen supply inside the rescue tube. And they will put on special goggles to protect their eyes -- which have become accustomed to the vampiric darkness of the caved-in mine -- from the lights up above.
Then the order to hoist will ring out and each man will begin their journey.
The first miners to come to the surface were deemed the most fit, but also possessed the most technical know-how so that they could advise the rescue teams.
The next five are the physically weakest, a term perhaps not appropriate for anyone who has survived more than two months in the bowels of the earth. But one of the miners has diabetes; another has black lung.
The last to come out will be Luis Alberto Iribarren, 54. Like the captain of a sinking ship, the shift supervisor volunteered to stay behind until all his men were safe.
Like the miners who have already been rescued, all of the men are expected to undergo about two hours of health checks at a field hospital set up at the mine. They will then be flown by helicopter to a hospital in the town of Copiapo -- approximately a 15-minute flight.
Miners who are healthy enough will be granted quick family reunions before being shuttled to the hospital.
"It's extremely exciting for us. ... It's a very emotional moment for us," said Jeff Hart, one of the lead drillers who assisted with the rescue efforts. "We worked real long and hard on that, and to actually see the capsule come through the first time through the hole that we drilled was just unbelievable."
For the 33 men, the only contact with the outside world since August 5 was through a small bore hole through which they were sent food, water and other supplies. A letter sent by one of them said they would take a vow of silence, to never to fully reveal the details of their underground misery.
High above the miners, family members and 1,500 journalists from 39 nations held their collective breath as the rescue mission continued from night into day.
And as each trapped man emerged safe, they exhaled.
For 69 harrowing days, the 33 miners trapped in the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile waited for their ascent to freedom. And as the first of the lot made the bumpy ride to the surface through half a mile of rock, the jubilant cries of a nation rang out.
Eager family members and anxious strangers from around the world bit their lips in anticipation as the rescue began in the intense chill of the desert night.
Sixteen minutes later, they broke out in cheers and chants of "Chile!" as Florencio Avalos was the first to step out from the "Fenix" capsule, named for the mythical bird that rose from ashes.
In the capital, Santiago, hundreds wept and embraced as they watched the rescue on a flickering big screen TV set up in a square. Corks popped and champagne flowed at the Chilean embassy in Washington.
The scene repeated itself as more and more miners arrived. Around the world, people -- unrelated to the miners -- sat glued to their television sets.
Gallery: Breakthrough at Chile mine "I mentioned on Twitter how 41 years ago the world watched men walk on the moon," said Connie Preti of New York. "Today we are seeing men come out from the earth. It's equally striking."
Each round trip in the 924-pound Fenix capsule took about 50 minutes, meaning the last miner should reach the surface sometime Thursday.
Health Minister Jaime Manalich said the rescue was proceeding according to plan and "going extraordinarily well so far." He said the miners were generally in good health.
"We have had very, very minor problems," Manalich said.
Avalos beamed as his feet touched the surface under which he was trapped for more than two months. He cradled his son and wife before Chilean President Sebastian Pinera bear-hugged him.
"We had promised to look until we found them," Pinera said. "We can all feel proud to be Chilean."
Avalos appeared strong, walking without help, embracing many of the rescue workers who witnessed his arrival. He was then put on a gurney and wheeled away for an examination by doctors.
The 31-year-old miner became a cameraman during the isolation, filming videos of the miners to be sent up to rescuers and relatives at the surface. His brother, Renan Silva, is also trapped in the mine.
"I'm overwhelmed with emotion because it's been so long since we have seen him," Alfonso Avalos, Florencio's father, told Chile's TVN. "I'm very proud of him. Thanks to God he got out and looks good."
As the second miner, Mario Sepulveda, exited the rescue hole, he reached into a large yellow bag and handed out what appeared to be rocks to officials and rescue workers.
Sepulveda cracked jokes and led the crowd in a cheer for Chile. As the 40-year-old was hauled away on a stretcher for medical evaluation, he asked his wife, "How's the dog?"
Later, sitting beside family members, Sepulveda pushed for better work conditions in Chile's mines, but also said he wants to keep working.
"Things can't stay the way they've been," he said. "Many changes must be made."
Amid the sea of Chilean flags greeting the emerging miners was a collection of small, handheld Bolivian flags for Carlos Mamani, the lone Bolivian miner.
His family back home was restrained for much of the morning while watching the rescue on TV. But they jumped up and clapped when they saw him kneel on the ground
We had promised to look until we found them. We can all feel proud to be Chilean.
--Chilean President Sebastian Pinera
RELATED TOPICS
Chile
Mining Accidents and Disasters
Sebastian Pinera
Next up was the youngest of the lot: Jimmy Sanchez, a 19-year-old who worked as an environmental assistant -- and the father of a newborn girl.
And so it went early Wednesday, and so it will go throughout the day.
The trapped miners will put on green coveralls made of moisture-resisting material and personalized with names like Raul Bustos. Juan Illanes. Alex Vega.
They will climb into a claustrophobic capsule only a little wider than the span of their shoulders. They will be instructed on the communications equipment and the oxygen supply inside the rescue tube. And they will put on special goggles to protect their eyes -- which have become accustomed to the vampiric darkness of the caved-in mine -- from the lights up above.
Then the order to hoist will ring out and each man will begin their journey.
The first miners to come to the surface were deemed the most fit, but also possessed the most technical know-how so that they could advise the rescue teams.
The next five are the physically weakest, a term perhaps not appropriate for anyone who has survived more than two months in the bowels of the earth. But one of the miners has diabetes; another has black lung.
The last to come out will be Luis Alberto Iribarren, 54. Like the captain of a sinking ship, the shift supervisor volunteered to stay behind until all his men were safe.
Like the miners who have already been rescued, all of the men are expected to undergo about two hours of health checks at a field hospital set up at the mine. They will then be flown by helicopter to a hospital in the town of Copiapo -- approximately a 15-minute flight.
Miners who are healthy enough will be granted quick family reunions before being shuttled to the hospital.
"It's extremely exciting for us. ... It's a very emotional moment for us," said Jeff Hart, one of the lead drillers who assisted with the rescue efforts. "We worked real long and hard on that, and to actually see the capsule come through the first time through the hole that we drilled was just unbelievable."
For the 33 men, the only contact with the outside world since August 5 was through a small bore hole through which they were sent food, water and other supplies. A letter sent by one of them said they would take a vow of silence, to never to fully reveal the details of their underground misery.
High above the miners, family members and 1,500 journalists from 39 nations held their collective breath as the rescue mission continued from night into day.
And as each trapped man emerged safe, they exhaled.
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