Rescued Chile miners recover, face celebrity status

Miner Luis Urzua, the last miner to be rescued, celebrates next to Chile’s President Sebastian Pinera after being pulled to safety

COPIAPO, Chile, (Reuters) – Chile’s 33 newly rescued  miners recovered from their ordeal today while also  pondering the celebrity status they have gained following a  more than two-month entrapment deep under a remote desert.
Most of the miners were found to be in decent health  despite being stuck in a collapsed mine tunnel since Aug. 5.
The men were resting in a hospital after being hoisted to  the surface in a rescue operation watched by hundreds of  millions worldwide. One of the miners had pneumonia and was  being treated with antibiotics.
In a complicated but flawless operation under the South  American nation’s far northern Atacama desert, the miners were  hauled out one-by-one through 2,050 feet (625 meters) of rock  in a metal capsule little wider than a man’s shoulders.
With much of the world transfixed by the rescue,  celebrations erupted in Chile. The miners set a world record  for survival underground and were welcomed as national heroes.

Miner Luis Urzua, the last miner to be rescued, celebrates next to Chile's President Sebastian Pinera after being pulled to safety

It took less than 22 hours from the time the first miner  was brought to the surface until the last one was pulled to  freedom late yesterday. About 2-1/2 hours later, the last of  six rescuers who had gone down the shaft to help the miners get  out also emerged from the gold and copper mine, and the  operation was complete.
“It’s so incredible that they all made it out alive,” said  51-year-old Luis Pina, a miner, hugging a perfect stranger as  he celebrated in the main square in Copiapo where thousands of  people danced into the early hours, cheering and waving red,  white and blue Chilean flags.
Despite the suffering they went through, and the emotional  stress some will still face, the previously unknown miners  could now have plenty to look forward to if they take up the  offers open to them.
Among a flood of invitations and gifts, Real Madrid and  Manchester United have invited the miners — many of whom are  avid soccer fans — to watch them play in Europe.
A flamboyant local singer-turned-businessman has given them  $10,000 each, while Apple boss Steve Jobs has sent them all a  latest iPod and a Greek firm has offered an islands tour.
Most of the miners are unlikely to return to their old  employment, with various job offers, advertising deals, and  book and film contracts coming their way.
President Sebastian Pinera, whose popularity has risen over  his handling of the crisis, was at the San Jose mine in the  Atacama desert to greet each man as he emerged and plans to  host them at his palace in the capital Santiago.
“I hand the shift over to you and hope this never happens  again,” the last miner out, Luis Urzua, 54, told Pinera.
Pinera was due to visit the miners today at the  hospital in Copiapo, where they are being kept in dim lighting  to help their eyes adjust after spending so long deprived of  natural light.
Some of the miners’ relatives who remained overnight at  ‘Camp Hope’, the tent settlement they have lived in near the  mine’s mouth over the past two months, also prepared to head to  Copiapo to join their loved ones.
CHILEAN QUAKE
Having suffered a massive earthquake in February that  killed more than 500 people, Chileans were euphoric about the  happy ending to their latest challenge and proud of the  technology that went into the successful rescue.
Church bells and car horns sounded across Chile in  celebration, while family members and well-wishers both wept  and laughed for joy outside the mine.