Thirty-three miners trapped in a mine under Chile’s Atacama Desert must slim down in order to escape their underground jail.
The miners, who have been trapped in the gold and copper mine since a collapse on August 5, will have to slim down to no more than 90cm around the waste in order to escape the tunnel.
Families of the miners have been encouraged by video footage that shows that they are alive and well, but face an anxious wait of months as rescuers must drill through thick rock to reach them.
Submarine commanders have been called in to give them expert advice on living together in close quarters, and physical training experts have put the miners on an exercise regime to try to lose the weight necessary to get out of the shaft alive.
The miners are being sent water and food through a small hole drilled through the rock.
A masseuse has been employed for the camp where the miners’ families are staying to help them deal with stress.
Times Live reports that a top South African company is lending a hand to help free the trapped miners. Murray & Roberts will send heavy drilling equipment from its Chilean companies, Terracem and Cementation Sudamerica, to help bore a passage to freedom for the miners.
Experts estimate the process of digging a rescue shaft to the emergency shelter where the men are holed up will take up to four months to complete. – Ridge Correspondent