10:02pm Friday September 17, 2010
Huw Borland
A drilling operation has reached 33 workers trapped in a Chile mine - but the 2,070ft-deep hole must now be widened so they can be pulled to freedom.
Work to rescue the trapped men continues at San Jose mine
A government official said a T-130 drilling machine had broken through to the tunnel where the miners have taken refuge, at San Jose mine, near the city of Copiapo. The drill opened a 12in (30cm) hole in the roof of the tunnel. That hole will now have to be enlarged to 26in (66cm), with the miners themselves working to clear tons of rubble from the excavation.
Chile's mining minister Laurence Golborne said the breakthrough means the rescue could happen sooner than previously expected. The country's government had previously said that, if all went as planned, the miners could be pulled out in early November. Mr Golborne said: "The timeline we have presented takes into consideration contingencies, that always present themselves in these circumstances, and they have been fewer than expected.
"At this point we're a little bit ahead." After an escape route has been completed, a special bullet-shaped capsule will be used to haul each of the miners to the surface. The men - 32 Chileans and one Bolivian - were trapped in the mine on August 5 after a tunnel collapse. They have survived underground longer than anyone on record. Food supplies are being sent down to them, along with water, medicine and entertainment through three supply holes. The holes were also carrying communication lines to the surface, where family members were camped.
