Chile Miners’ capsule arrives at the San Jose mine in Chile
By ANISunday, September 26, 2010
LONDON - Finally a sign of relief for the 33 Chilean miners who are trapped underground since August as the first capsule specially built for their rescue reached the San Jose mine in Chile on Saturday.
According to Sky News, the man-size tube made of steel mesh and sheets will lift the men out one by one once one of the three rescue holes being drilled reach the group.
The outer appearance of the capsule is nearly 10 feet tall but the space inside the capsule is just six feet high and 21 inches across. There are reportedly three tanks of compressed air at the bottom, which allows for 90 minutes of breathing.
According to Chile’s health minister Jaime Manalich that should be plenty for the 15 to 20 minutes the journey to the surface is expected to take. However, in case of any problem, the base can be opened to allow the miner to be lowered back down by cable.
Two back-up rescue devices constructed at Chile’s naval shipyard are expected to be delivered next week.
The government have expressed high hopes that if everything goes well, the miners could be rescued by November this year. (ANI)
