After nearly two months trapped inside a collapsed copper mine, 33 Chilean miners are now beginning a training regime for the final chapter of their underground odyssey: escape.
As three simultaneous rescue operations slowly drill through 688m (2,257ft) of solid rock at the San Jose mine, the men are receiving detailed instructions on the latest plans to haul them out one by one inside a torpedo-shaped rescue capsule, which has been called the Phoenix.
Planned for next month
The men are expected to be rescued next month. If the current three rescue operations fail, a fallback plan calls for the men to climb up ladders for hundreds of feet unaided, a physical feat so daunting that a personal trainer has been hired for the men.
Jean Christophe Romagnoli, an adviser to the Chilean armed forces and professional athletes, has spent the past two week training the men in preparation for more strenuous gym classes. “They have a two kilometre stretch of tunnels. The men are walking the tunnels and some are jogging. We are using U.S. army fitness training, so the men sing while they jog.” Romagnoli said the singing was a safety precaution to make sure the men kept their heartbeat between 120 and 140 beats per minute. “We know that if their heart rate goes above 140 they can't sing and jog at the same time.” Despite numerous challenges to training the men via a video link from above, Romagnoli said the men were enthusiastic about the new routines. “One of the advantages we have is these guys are strong, they are accustomed to working their arms and upper body. This is not a sedentary population we are dealing with, they will respond quickly.” While rescue procedures call for the men to spend just 20 minutes inside the rescue cage, Romagnoli is preparing the men to stand immobile for up to an hour. Over the weekend, Chilean navy engineers delivered the first of three rescue capsules to the mine to start testing the custom-built cages.
Painted with the colours of the Chilean flag, the Phoenix weighs just under 500kg and is equipped with communication links and three tanks of oxygen that allow the men to breathe for up to 90 minutes.
The capsule also has two emergency exits for use if the tube becomes wedged in the rescue shaft. In a worst case scenario, the miner will be able to open the floor of the capsule and lower himself back into the depths of the mine.
Details
Once the rescue tunnel is complete, two people will first be lowered into the hole. “A miner and a paramedic with rescue training,” said Dr. Jaime Manalich, the Chilean health minister, as he outlined the schedule of what he described as a 500—person rescue operation.
Once lowered into the hole, the paramedic will administer medications and intravenous hydration to the men. Sedatives will be used if necessary to calm the men before the dramatic ride to the surface.
Rescue co-ordinators are classifying the miners into three groups: the able, the weak and the strong. The miners will be evacuated in that order, allowing the first group to serve as a test case for the second group. The fittest men will be taken at the end of an operation which is expected to take nearly two days. — © Guardian Newspapers Limited, 2010
