Minister: Rescued Chile Miners in Good Health
As the trapped Chile miners emerged one by one from the depths of the mine that had trapped them for 69 days, all appeared in good health.
Chile's health minister Jaime Manalich said that of the first eight rescued, no miner has needed any special medication, not even the diabetic among them.
He also notes that the escape capsule is not rotating as officials had expected it to, which has allowed rescuers to speed its trips up and down.
Manalich told a news conference Wednesday that the 13-foot-tall capsule has suffered no damage. He said that the only delay was a programmed change of some of the spring-loaded wheels, which lasted 35 minutes.
In the hours after Manalich spoke, nine more miners reached the surface.
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The first eight emerged like clockwork, jubilantly embracing wives, children and rescuers and looking remarkably composed. The anxiety that had accompanied the final days of preparation melted away at 12:11 a.m. when the stoutest of the 33 miners, Florencio Avalos, emerged from the missile-like rescue capsule smiling broadly after his half-mile journey to the surface.
In a din of cheers, he hugged his sobbing 7-year-old son and wife and then President Sebastian Pinera, who has been deeply involved in an effort that had become a matter of national pride.
The most ebullient of the bunch came out second, an hour later.
"I think I had extraordinary luck. I was with God and with the devil. And I reached out for God," said Mario Sepulveda as he awaited the air force helicopter ride to a nearby hospital where all the miners were to spend 48 hours under medical observation.
The miners have survived more time trapped underground than anyone on record, and the world was captivated by their endurance and unity as officials carefully planned their rescue.
Chile exploded in joy and relief at the first, breakthrough rescue just after midnight in the coastal Atacama desert.
In the capital, Santiago, a cacophony of motorists' horns sounded. In the nearby regional capital of Copiapo, from which 24 of the miners hail, the mayor canceled school so parents and children could "watch the rescue in the warmth of the home."
All-news channels from North America to Europe and the Middle East carried live coverage. Pope Benedict XVI said in Spanish that he "continues with hope to entrust to God's goodness" the fate of the men. Iran's state English-language Press TV followed events live until President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad touched down in Lebanon on his first state visit there.
The methodical pace at which the miners were delivered from the mountain matched the rescue team's prediction that all would be free after about 36 hours, barring major glitches.