We are still alive

chilean-minner

The first video released of the 33 men trapped deep in a Chilean mine shows the men stripped to the waist and appearing slim but healthy, arm-in-arm, singing the national anthem and yelling “long live Chile, and long live the miners!” on Friday.

Camping just outside the entrance to the mine, those waiting for the miners’ return said they were elated after seeing their loved ones.

Only about five minutes of what is reportedly a 45-minute video were released late on Thursday by Television Nacional de Chile via the Chilean government. The men made the video with a camera sent down through an emergency shaft drilled to their emergency shelter deep in the San Jose mine.

The grainy images show some men standing, others lying down and just waking up. One man displays the way they have organised the living room-sized shelter and showed areas where they can walk around.

A miner shows where the men meet and pray and points out the “little cup to brush our teeth”. “We have everything organised,” he says.

As the camera shows a table with dominoes laid out, the tour guide says that “this is where we entertain ourselves, where we play cards”.

What the men may not know is that the mining company that hired them is doing nothing to join them in a rescue. The San Esteban company says it can’t afford to pay their wages and may go bankrupt.

The miners were trapped by a collapse on August 5. Rescuers are working to drill a tunnel that will be 26 inches wide and could take weeks or months to complete.

source : http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Chile-miners-send-up-new-video-message/673551