Chile mine breakthrough brings new risks

COPIAPO, Chile, Oct. 9 (UPI) -- Rescue officials say the effort to free 33 trapped Chilean miners is about to enter its trickiest and potentially most dangerous phase.

A drill finally reached the chamber where the miners have been stuck since August 5 on Saturday; however hoisting them to the surface will be a tight and potentially dangerous process.

The plan calls for one miner at a time to be lifted to the surface in a small steel rescue pod. The danger is that the shaft is very narrow and is not in a perfectly straight line.

"There's only about two inches clearance," John Urosek of the United States Mine Safety and Health Administration said before the breakthrough. "And they'll have to pull it out of that depth so many times, it could get wedged."

The New York Times said it would be a few days before the first extraction is attempted as officials decide how much the shaft should be reinforced.

Nevertheless, Saturday's breakthrough triggered a celebration at the mine site that included the ringing of the schoolhouse bell and a large crowd singing the Chilean national anthem.

Once the operation is under way, at least two rescue workers will be lowered into the mine to help with the evacuation. The Times said the strongest individuals would leave first so they can assist at the surface.