Chilean rescuers on Sunday reinforced an escape shaft to hoist 33 miners to freedom, bringing their stunning survival story close to its climax two months after they were trapped deep underground.
Engineers have drilled a narrow, nearly 2,050 foot-long (625-metre) shaft to evacuate the men, who have been using explosives to make room for a special capsule dubbed "Phoenix" that will lift them one-by-one to the surface.
The rescuers were inserting metal tubes to line the first 330 feet (100 metres) of the duct to strengthen it, and the government expects to start the evacuation on Wednesday in one of the most complex rescue attempts in mining history.
"At the moment, we're starting to send down the first tubes," said Andre Sougarret, who is leading the rescue operations.
"We hope to finish putting the tubing in place within the next 24 hours," he added. More than two months have passed since the men were trapped when the mine collapsed. Spontaneous celebrations broke out across Chile on Saturday as news of the drilling breakthrough spread.
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