Ordeal for 33 men trapped underground for two months nears end as they get pulled out one by one in a rescue capsule.
Avalos, in beige, embraced the president seconds after coming out of the rescue capsule [AFP] Two of the 33 Chilean miners trapped in a collapsed mine for more than two months have been raised through a small rescue tunnel in a skinny, missile-like capsule nicknamed "Phoenix". Florencio Avalos, a 31-year-old driver, was the first miner to be rescued on Wednesday and was chosen because he was considered among the most physically and mentally fit of the group. He smiled broadly as he emerged and hugged his sobbing 7-year-old son and wife. He then embraced Sebastian Pinera, the president who is at the scene overseeing the rescue operation. The president described how lovely it was to see Avalos' son greet their father. "I told Florencio, that few times have I ever seen a son show so much love for his father," Pinera said. "This won't be over until all 33 are out," he said. "Hopefully the spirit of these miners will remain forever with us ... This country is capable of great things." Avalos was then was escorted into a medical triage centre for the first of a battery of tests. Mario Sepulveda, a 39-year-old electrical specialist, was the second to be pulled out, embracing his family as rescuers cheered. Quick rescue Al Jazeera's Lucia Newman, reporting from the mine, said it took only 16 minutes for Avalos to be pulled up the 600-metres-deep shaft. In Depth Q&A: Chile mine rescue Gallery: Miners on verge of rescue Video: Chile's mining perils Video: Miners' last interview "Initially we had been told by authorities it would take about an hour for the journey from the bottom of the mine to the surface," she said. "But it's been much, much quicker which means this whole operation could be finished within a day rather than the 48 hours initially announced." Avalos began his journey after a mining rescue expert and and a paramedic were lowered down the rescue tunnel to prepare the miners for their rescue. The risky operation is being followed minute-by-minute by international media and Chilean citizens. Each miner stepping out of the capsule is being greeted by up to three family members and waiting doctors before being flown to a regional hospital for at least two days of check-ups. Successful tests The 32 Chileans and one Bolivian were trapped in the San Jose mine in northern Chile on August 5, when its upper galleries collapsed. They were detected alive 17 days later, triggering the frantic rescue operation. Initially, officials had thought it would take until Christmas to get the miners out, but the drilling of a rescue tunnel 622 metres deep to reach where the miners were trapped was completed last weekend. Since then, tests of the tunnel have been successfully completed and the rescuers are set to slowly bring the men to the surface, one by one. Engineers say the rescue of each miner could take up to 90 minutes, meaning the entire rescue could last up to two days. The last of them was expected to be saved by late on Thursday. Once the first four miners had been brought to the surface they will be flown to a hospital in the nearby city of Copiapo. The process will continue with four miners at a time until all the miners have been flown to the hospital. Monica Villamizar, Al Jazeera's correspondent at the scene of the rescue, said: "Authorities have told us that after all the necessary medical tests have been made, and the check-ups complete, they are free to go with their families and they are free to talk with whoever they want. "There are a lot of rumours here about contracts going on and even deals for books and films with Hollywood." Medical preparations Each of the trapped miners has been promised six months of psychological support by the Chilean government. Preparing for the rescue, doctors have ordered the miners to do 20 minutes of aerobic exercise a day to prevent muscle cramps on the way to the surface. They will also have to fast for eight hours before they come up, and they have been given sunglasses to protect their eyes after so much time in the dark.
"The miners are very busy, that's also to keep their spirits up," Manalich said. "It remains a paradox: they're actually much more relaxed than we are.
"We have to protect them until the last minute, until they can return to normal lives with their families." They were trapped on August 5 when the upper galleries of the mine collapsed. They were initially believed to have perished, until a a drill probe found them after 17 days and they were able to attach a note to it, announcing that they were all alive and well. They had survived by strictly rationing their food and water, and had found refuge in an emergency shelter.
'''W Chile trwa akcja ratunkowa 33 uwięzionych w kopalni górników.'''

Operacja rozpoczęła się we wtorek o 20:00 czasu lokalnego (1:00 w nocy czasu polskiego). Pierwszym wydobytym na powierzchnię górnikiem był Florencio Antonio Ávalos Silva, ok. godz. 00:10 czasu lokalnego.

Na górze na górników oprócz rodzin czekają prezydenci Chile i Boliwii - Sebastian Pinera i Evo Morales.

''Stan zdrowia górników jest satysfakcjonujący'' - powiedział podczas konferencji prasowej chilijski minister zdrowia. Podał także, że akcja ewakuacyjna jest - jego zdaniem - prowadzona "zadziwiająco dobrze".

Górnicy są transportowani na powierzchnię w specjalnej kapsule ratowniczej Feniks 2. Urządzenie przypomina kosmiczną rakietę. Ma 3,9 m wysokości, 54 cm średnicy i waży 420 kg. Na dole kapsuły znajdują się trzy pojemniki ze sprężonym powietrzem, które powinno wystarczyć na 90 minut. 

W czasie ewakuacji górnicy zakładają specjalnie zaprojektowane kombinezony z aparaturą do mierzenia ciśnienia, tętna i innych parametrów, która będzie przekazywała te dane ekipie lekarskiej. Całą podróż na powierzchnię górnicy odbywają z zamkniętymi oczami, a zaraz po opuszczeniu kapsuły zakładają specjalne ciemne okulary, chroniące przed uszkodzeniem wzroku odzwyczajonego od światła.

W wyniku tąpnięcia 5 sierpnia, 33 górników zostało uwięzionych po ziemią w komorze górniczej o powierzchni 50 metrów kwadratowych. Po siedmiu nieudanych próbach 22 sierpnia 2010 udało się w końcu wydrążyć otwór szerokości 15 cm, dzięki któremu nawiązano kontakt z zasypanymi.