First Trapped Chilean Miner Rescued After 68 Days
Bells are ringing in Chile: Florencio Avalos (pictured), one of 33 Chilean miners trapped underground for months, just became the first to be successfully rescued. He looks pretty good, for a guy who was trapped in cave!
This is him hugging his kid:
The BBC is live-streaming video from the site of the rescue operations—and apparently, the Chilean embassy in Washington, D.C. is broadcasting the rescue on screens set up outside. Here's the order of they'll come up in:
Florencio Avalos, Mario Sepulveda, Juan Illanes, Carlos Mamani, Jimmy Sanchez, Osman Araya, Jose Ojeda, Claudio Yanez, Mario Gomez, Alex Vega, Jorge Galleguillos, Edison Pena, Carlos Barrios, Victor Zamora, Víctor Segovia, Daniel Herrera, Omar Reygadas, Esteban Rojas, Pablo Rojas, Dario Segovia, Yonni Barrios, Samuel Avalos, Carlos Bugueno, Jose Henriquez, Renan Avalos, Claudio Acuna, Franklin Lobos, Richard Villarroel, Juan Aguilar, Raul Bustos, Pedro Cortez, Ariel Ticona, Luis Urzua.
Union representative Mario Sepulveda (pictured) is next, but it could take as many as two days before all 33 are rescued. Right now, Manuel Gonzalez, a paramedic who came down in the first rescue capsule, is examining the men; as each comes up, a light flashes and alarms sound to alert medics, who will tend to the miner in chambers at the site before sending him to a hospital via helicopter.
Related: Rescued Chilean Miner Brings Rocks Up as Presents