Amid cheers and applause, Chilean miner Florencio Avalos, 31, on Tuesday came out of what he described as "a living hell," seemingly safe and sound.
In this image released by the government of Chile, the second miner Mario Sepulveda (L), one of the 33 trapped miners, hugs Chilean President Sebastian Pinera at the San Jose mine in Copiapo, Chile, Oct. 12, 2010.
He was followed by Mario Sepulveda, 39, and Juan Illanes, 52.
The collapsed mine 700 meters deep in Copiapo in northern Chile has absorbed global attention for 69 days after 33 miners were trapped there.
The crowd at the rescue scene became ecstatic as soon as the Phoenix rescue capsule, named to symbolize rebirth, emerged from the tunnel with Avalos aboard. Countless cameras and video cameras were planted around the site of the unfolding miracle.
Upon stepping out of the 54-cm-wide and 4-meter-high steel capsule custom-made by the Chilean Navy that carried him to the ground through a 662-meter shaft, Avalos was greeted by his wife and his son, and Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who arrived Tuesday afternoon to witness the historic moment. Before Avalos, no one in history has ever been trapped deep underground for so long and survived.
Avalos’ 7-year-old son Bairon rushed to him, and they had a huge bear hug. The boy burst into happy tears, as did Chile’s first lady Cecilia Morel. Avalos was then embraced by President Pinera among cheers of "Chile! Chile!"
Still wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes, Avalos smiled and was escorted to a medical center for a physical examination.
The next two survivors met with similar cheers as they stepped out of the rescue capsule.
The remaining miners will be hoisted to the ground according to a roster, and the whole process will probably last for more than 30 hours.
Pinera delivered an upbeat speech as the capsule was lowered into the tunnel to rescue the second miner. "It won’t be over until all the miners are rescued," he said.
"Hopefully, the spirit of the miners will stay forever with us ... This country is capable of great things," he said. "We Chileans have shown the best of us."
Describing the experience as "a wonderful night that Chileans and the whole world will never forget," Pinera noted that the rescue operation was unprecedented in history because of its magnitude and complexity.
The president said his government will strive to improve miners’ safety.
He meanwhile hailed the solidarity and perseverance of the nation in the face of disasters. Chile was hit by a devastating 8.8-magnitude earthquake on Jan. 27, followed by a tsunami, which killed some 500 people.
The miners, who have been trapped since Aug. 5, were confirmed alive on Aug. 22, and it had been estimated that the rescue would take four months.
On Oct. 9, a 624-meter deep rescue tunnel was completed.
The final phase of the rescue work was launched Tuesday night. According to an official roster, the first four miners to be rescued are volunteers who are strong both physically and mentally. They will be followed by 11 weak and sick miners.
The last miner to be rescued is 55-year-old shift foreman Luis Urzua.
VietNamNet/Xinhuanet
