Drilling to reach Chilean miners to begin

(News Today) - Chilean officials plan to start drilling a rescue shaft Monday, as they begin a months-long operation to reach 33 miners who have been trapped underground for more than three weeks.

The effort to drill through more than 2,300 feet (701 meters) of rock and safely extract the miners could take three to four months, officials said.

The miners have been stuck in the mine since an August 5 cave-in and are surviving off food, water and other supplies funneled to them from above ground through an "umbilical cord" -- a tube about four inches in diameter.

Meanwhile, a four-person team from NASA is set to arrive in Chile this week to help provide physical and behavioral health support to the miners. NASA has a long history in dealing with isolated environments and thinks experiences in space and underground are not too different, said Michael Duncan, the U.S. space agency's lead person on the Chile effort.

Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich said a medical official, a nutritional medic, a psychologist and an engineering expert in logistics from NASA will stay at the mine from Wednesday through Friday to help.

"I do not imagine, like I saw a cartoon in a daily newspaper, that NASA will be setting up an area with no oxygen and no gravity where the miners will be floating about ... but you never know," Manalich joked.

The miners spoke directly with family members for the first time Sunday, as officials worked to keep the men's spirits and health in good shape.

One person per family was given about 20 seconds each to talk through a line that was rigged to connect the miners with life above ground.

"He's good, very good. He told me to be patient and to have faith," Antenor Barrios, father of one of the trapped miners, said after talking to his son, Carlos.

Family members have mounted a constant vigil in a tent city -- dubbed Camp Hope -- outside the copper-and-gold mine in the Chilean desert. About a week ago, miners first sent up a written message telling rescuers they had been safely huddled in a shelter deep underground.

One of the miners, Esteban Rojas, sent a letter to his wife soon after the men were discovered alive, asking her to renew their vows in a church ceremony. The two were married in a civil ceremony and have been together for some 25 years.

"I was worried he might not mention it again, but he said we should get married in church. He'd asked me if I've already chosen the dress," said Jessica Yanez, after talking to her husband. "Of course I told him we would get married."

Read about the letter by Rojas to Yanez

But the couple will have to wait, possibly until December -- when the miners are expected to surface.

"We are looking at other options, but the most important thing is that we don't have any failures and that we can rescue them at least within that period," Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golborne told reporters.

But a group of engineers have said they have a "Plan B" that could reduce the time it would take to reach the miners by half.

Walter Herrera, quality control and risk manager for Chilean mining company GeoTech, has said his company was bringing a specialized device -- a Scram T-130 drill typically used for boring water holes -- to the San Jose mine.

Read about what 'Plan B' entails

Herrera said his plan hinges on using one of the three bore holes already made. The drill would use that hole as a pilot and widen the diameter to about 28 inches, which officials have said is wide enough for the miners to pass through.

"We think it could be quicker than the other plan. In ideal conditions, this could take around two months," Herrera said.

The Chilean mining minister has not ruled out the alternative plan but has cautioned it might not work. He has also said it might not be put into operation.

Officials said both efforts -- to drill the rescue shaft and widen the bore hole -- could be carried out at the same time.

Read about the conditions the miners are living in

To help the miners cope, Golborne said rescuers are sending down aluminum bed frames, towels, hot-weather clothes that wick away sweat, shampoo and shower caps. MP3 players, speakers and a mini-TV projector -- along with recordings of soccer games and other films -- are also on the way, he said.

Manalich told reporters on Sunday the miners were sent vaccines to protect against diseases like diphtheria and tetanus. He said the risk of infection among the men is high as they are crammed in such a small space. Some of the miners are having problems with skin fungi, Manalich added, and there's a high risk of breathing infections.

See photos of the rescue efforts

The miners have been sent rubber boots and chlorine to help treat water from sources they have access to underground, Manalich said.

He said the miners currently have a video camera underground and are filming each other to show injuries they sustained during the cave-in. The images should help doctors diagnose and treat the men, though no one is thought to have serious wounds.

Source : CNN

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