Chile Frees 12 of 33 Miners in Underground Rescue
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Chilean rescue workers hoisted into the desert the first 12 of 33 miners who were trapped underground for more than two months where they were greeted by their families and President Sebastian Pinera in an operation that gripped television viewers around the world.
The first miner, Florencio Avalos, emerged from the San Jose copper mine at 11:12 p.m. New York time after being trapped for 69 days in a tunnel more than 600 meters (1,970 feet) underground, according to a broadcast by state television channel TVN. The operation, overseen by Pinera in the Atacama desert, is scheduled to run another 24 hours.