Rescued Chilean miners \'may go home from hospital soon\'

14 October 2010 Last updated at 12:35 GMT Share this pageFacebookTwitter ShareEmail Print Rescued Chilean miners \'may go home from hospital soon\'AdvertisementThe capsule carrying Luis Urzua emerged to cheers, songs and applause

Some of the 33 miners rescued after 69 days trapped underground in northern Chile may leave hospital and go home as early as Thursday, officials say.



Several are receiving treatment for dental and eye problems, and two have the lung disease silicosis.



However, doctors say they are surprised at their general good condition.



Chile is basking in a near flawless rescue operation that concluded when Luis Urzua became the last man freed from the mine.



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Chile\'s Trapped MinersAs it happened

Graphics: Guide to rescue

The winners

A 69-day shift from hell

Mr Urzua emerged to jubilant cheers at 2155 local time on Wednesday (0055 GMT on Thursday), ending a rescue operation of more than 22 hours.



Chile\'s President Sebastian Pinera said his country was \"more united and stronger than ever\" and would never be the same again.



\'Spoke little\'



All of the miners are now in hospital in Copiapo, being treated in two wards that have been darkened to allow the men to adjust to the light.



The BBC\'s Rajesh Mirchandani, outside the hospital, says the eldest miner, Mario Gomez, 63, is being treated for pneumonia and the lung disease silicosis. The second man out of the mine, Mario Sepulveda, also has silicosis.



At least two men are receiving dental surgery.



The miners had been told they would need to be held in the hospital for 48 hours.





Luis Urzua, the last miner rescued, arrives at Copiapo hospital Health Minister Jaime Manalich confirmed some might go home earlier than predicted but added that several of the miners had been unable to sleep, were anxious or simply wanted to talk to relatives.



First Lady Cecilia Morel confirmed to the Associated Press news agency that there might be early discharges from hospital.



\"They are being kept more as a preventative measure than to treat anything,\" she said.



However, one doctor, Guillermo Swett, told Associated Press that the youngest miner, Jimmy Sanchez, 19, was struggling and appeared depressed.



\"He spoke very little and didn\'t seem to connect,\" Dr Swett said.



The huge media contingent has been packing up at the nearby San Jose mine and turning its attention to the hospital.



President Pinera said he would visit all of the miners in hospital on Thursday and would invite them to the government palace in the capital, Santiago.



AdvertisementPresident Pinera praises the miners, the families and the rescuers

Our correspondent says the men will have to get used to being national heroes.



There were scenes of celebration at the mine, in Copiapo and around Chile as the last man was rescued.



Chilean officials have pledged to provide at least six months\' care for the miners but they will have to decide on their future - whether they want to try to make money from their ordeal and whether they want to continue their mining careers.



One miner, Victor Segovia, reportedly told his sister: \"I am a miner, and I will die a miner.\"



However, Mr Pinera has already said the San Jose mine \"will definitely never open again\".



He has vowed to punish anyone found guilty of wrongdoing.



\"Those who are responsible will have to assume their responsibility,\" he said.



The families of 27 of the miners have already sued the mine\'s owners for negligence.



\'Stronger than ever\'



The miners were trapped when part of the San Jose copper and gold mine in the Atacama desert collapsed on 5 August. It was 17 days later when rescuers discovered the men were alive.



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Order of rescue



Florencio Avalos (31), Mario Sepulveda (39), Juan Illanes (51), Carlos Mamani (23), Jimmy Sanchez (19), Osman Araya (30), Jose Ojeda (46), Claudio Yanez (34), Mario Gomez (63), Alex Vega (31), Jorge Galleguillos (56), Edison Pena (34), Carlos Barrios (27), Victor Zamora (33), Victor Segovia (48), Daniel Herrera (27), Omar Reygadas (56), Esteban Rojas (44), Pablo Rojas (45), Dario Segovia (48), Yonni Barrios (50), Samuel Avalos (43), Carlos Bugueno (27), Jose Henriquez (54), Renan Avalos (29), Claudio Acuna, (35), Franklin Lobos (53), Richard Villarroel (27), Juan Aguilar (49), Raul Bustos (40), Pedro Cortez (24), Ariel Ticona (29), Luis Urzua (54)



Profiles: Trapped miners

Key moments: Chile miners\' rescue

The long rescue attempt drew to a close when the capsule carrying Mr Urzua up the 624m (2,047ft) rescue shaft emerged to songs and applause.



Thirty-three balloons in Chilean colours were released above the mine.



Mr Urzua, the shift supervisor at the mine, said: \"We have done what the entire world was waiting for. We had strength, we had spirit, we wanted to fight, we wanted to fight for our families, and that was the greatest thing.\"



Mr Pinera said: \"What ended up as a real blessing from God started as a possible tragedy.



\"But the unity, the faith, the compromise, the honesty, the solidarity of the Chileans in those 69 days makes us very proud.\"



The final man out of the mine was rescuer Manuel Gonzalez, who returned to the surface just under two-and-a-half hours after Mr Urzua.



The operation had lasted just over 22 hours. Florencio Avalos was the first miner to reach the surface - at 0010 on Wednesday (0310 GMT).



The rescue team was soon able to cut the time down between each ascent from an hour to 25 minutes, and by Wednesday afternoon it became clear that the operation would be completed in half the time originally estimated.



Messages of congratulations to the Chilean people have poured in from around the world - from US President Barack Obama, Pope Benedict XVI, UK Prime Minister David Cameron and many others.


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