Rescue said near for trapped miners

COPIAPO, Chile, Oct. 7 (UPI) -- A rescue hole for 33 trapped Chilean miners is expected to reach their refuge in less than two days, Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said Thursday.

Once that happens, engineers must decide whether the entire 2,300-foot hole, or only the first 350 feet near the surface, needs to be lined with a metal sleeve, the Los Angeles Times reported. The first option would take a week and the second one or two days, Golborne said.

The miners are to ascend to the surface one at a time in a metal capsule. Officials said they have started exercising to prepare themselves and a healthcare worker and engineer will be sent down to the refuge to help them with the ascent.

They will wear special glasses to protect their eyes after weeks of dim light.

Relatives of the men have been camping in the area for weeks. The men are believed to have spent longer underground than any other miners since they were trapped by a collapse Aug. 5.

Norma Sanchez said she wants her son, Jimmy, 19, to be brought out as quickly as possible.

"I'm anxious but I'm very excited to think I will soon be touching him and embracing him," she told the Times.