live," we have all, folks, witnessed something that has never been witnessed before. we'll be back at our regular hour tomorrow night. michael moore will be our guest following the delaware debate. george clooney will be here on thursday. willy nelson on friday. two have been rescued. the third expected to reach the surface within the next six minutes. stay tuned for continuing coverage of this historic story. right here on cnn. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com welcome to our viewers around the world and here in the united states as well, joining us for the first time. it was the moment the world had been waiting to see for more than two months. >> the first of 33 trapped miners. >> look at the faces of family

members. plenty of hugs all rained. >> hugs, applause, all of it. >> this happened just before 11:00 eastern. just around 11:00 eastern time. >> there's the second rescue. this was filled with pure joy. the wife of this miner going through an absolute range of emotions in the minutes leading up to his emerging and he does emerge. he was the joker. wasn't he? >> he was known as the joker underground. narrated a lot of videos. watch what happens here when he steps out. of the fenix rescue pod. >> his wife had gone through that range of emotion. nerves, joy, and now jubilation.

>> a beautiful hug for the wife there. and in just a moment, you will see him reach for his bag. >> that's right. he came bearing gifts. yes, he takes the bag off. people are wondering what it is he is doing. he reach in and what does he come out with? >> we're told these are souvenir rocks. >> rock. he came out with rocks and he hands they will to the president and the mines minister. gifts for the vips and then hugs. >> that's a beautiful thing right there. so that is two down right there. two up, i guess we should say. 31 to go. and we want to show you how the scene looks right now. >> live pictures there coming to us from the scene of this rescue. we just saw, just a little while ago. we saw miner number three depart from his underground prison it's been for the last 69 days or. so he shouldn't be too long.

? we are waiting for the arrival of the third miner. juan illanes palma. we've been so caught up. i don't think we've introduced ourselves. >> i'm colleen mcedwards. >> and i'm michael holm. we've been covering this for viewers around the world. our u.s. viewers joining us as we continue to watch this amazing rescue effort in progress. >> absolutely. let's get the latest now on what's happening at the mine. and carl has been following the miners' saga since day one. he joins us right now live from the san jose mine in chile. carl, what is going on right now? what stage are we at with the rescue of this third miner on his way to the surface? >> i think you guys are absolutely right. our name really don't matter tonight, do they? the names that matter are florencio, mario sepulveda,

miner number two. and the third member, juan palma. he is possibly just three minutes from the surface. and after those three name, we then want to hear 30 more names. we want to count them back up to the surface. they went down at august 5. at about 2:00 p.m., became far from normal. one day turned into a long nightmare. 33 miners and 33 of their families, and now, that nightmare is coming to an end. and believe me, when we look on the looks of the families' faces, we can see such a range of emotions. they don't know how to feel. they have been through stress. they have been through anxiety. they have literally been through this pain of not knowing whether their loved ones are alive or dead. now they know they're alive. they know they're on the way back to the surface. and we've seen that joy reflected here at camp hope.

camp hope was a makeshift tent city. a tent village, if you like. out here in the desert at the mouth of the san jose golden copper mine. by day here, it is boiling hot. by night, it is freezing cold. but 33 families refused to give up. they've given us all an example of resistance and of love. they stood by those miners. they refused to believe for the first 17 days, that their loved ones had died. most of them say that they never gave up hope. and tonight, they're celebrating. when the first miner came up, florencio avalos. they broke into the national anthem. they gasped as well when they saw the first images of the fenix 2 actually getting down into the mine. none of us really expected that the chilean government had

organized this so well with their fiberoptic video cables. we did expect to see a live video feed of the rescue workers and the fenix capsule going in from the surface but what took us by surprise, when they cut at zero meters, and cut to show us the red, white and blue fenix capsule painted in the colors of the chilean flag. actually down in the mine. the 33 miners flocking around it. that point was a total wow factor for the relatives here. they also laughed as well as mario sepulveda came up to the surface. as you were saying, he was the joker in the pack. in all the videos that have been sent by the miners back to the surface, he has tried to keep spirits high. he has joked and laughed with the miners and they have responsibled to him in kind and he was true to the last. he was not supposed to bring anything in the fenix capsule. all along we've known that getting to that 55 centimeter diameter capsule, it was going

to be a struggle. you had to take a deep intake of breath just to fit in. this joker brought up a whole bag of rocks and he handed out a gray rock to the president and the mines minister. >> he certainly did. >> thank you for getting us back. >> he certainly did. i'm going to jump in here. we want to alert our viewer to the fact that the third miner, as you mentioned, juan illanes palma, 52 years old, is very close to the surface, we believe now. i believe that is his wife who is waiting there by the site where he is about to come up. to let you know where we are at in this process. and as soon as we know he is close, we'll definitely alert you to that as well. thanks so much. >> stick around. we'll get back to you. i want to go now to the town of copiapo. eagerly waiting for every good bit of news. it has been very festive there, which is the town close to the san jose mine and camp hope

where all the action is going on where karl is and also gary tuckman. but you've been seeing plenty of action there, too. wait, wait one minute. >> this is the one we've been waiting for. let's pause. >> a big trip to the surface for the fenix 2 capsule. a subdued spouse here compared to number two. >> yes, yes. >> i hate to say the, this is going almost like clock work. the six one around 11:00 eastern. hour by hour. she's very emotional. she is absolutely caught up in this.

juan illanes palma, 52 years old, is in that capsule. he has been waiting a long time for this trip. we're about to see him step out. [ applause ] >> there he is. >> we should point out, if you haven't heard already, all the men are college up wearing those dark glasses. after 69 days underground to protect their eyes. even at night, this scene is lit

up. [ speaking spanish ] >> oh, yes. there's the money shot. gorgeous. >> they point out, too, that it has been planned all along that the fittest of the miner would come up first. the first four or five will be the fittest of the miners. why? in case something went wrong, they would perhaps physically be in better shape to take care of an emergency situation. and i think the next group after that, are those who are least well. or least fit so they can get some medical attention. >> and indeed, once they get to the surface now, the medical

attention begins. once these welcomes, these moments, this moment of emotion is past. he will to go a gurny. he'll be wheeled into a triage area. he'll be examined. he will go into a tenth area where he'll be able to meet with a small group of family member and then will take a helicopter ride to a local hospital where the treatment, the observation will be continued. they want to make sure these guys are okay. >> they have two medevac helicopters standing by. they're doing ferry run to that hospital. interesting note on the choppers, they're using apparently night vision going tole, the -- goggles. if there are too many headlights, they would interfere. >> the interesting thing, the intention is to keep this going. it is not to stop unless something unthinkable happens and they have to stop. so at some poirngt it is a little after 2:00 in the morning local time. at some point this will be

happening in daylight. that's when those glasses, all of that protective gear for these miners who have been down in the dark for so long, are going to become even more important. there he is on the gurney. >> unbelievable scene. patrick, sorry to interrupt you before. i assume another cheer went up there as we saw that capsule come to the surface. >> reporter: seeing how this is going, there is a strange rhythm to it. it is very, very quiet here. people holding their breath. just waiting for that first image of the miner to come out of the hole. and then the crowd explodes. people, as you see, getting -- atlanta, you guys have to give me some heads up. i can't hear.

it sounds like michael is tossing to me. >> patrick, you're up. carry on, my friend. we've been listening to you. carry on. you were telling us about what happens -- >> some miscommunication here. yes, yes. just an amazing -- >> we're losing the signal again. we're having some problems at copiapo again keeping that signal. karl i think is still there. karl, it is an extraordinary situation. and we have to keep reminding ourselves that while this look like an organized event, it is all happening just as if it was scripted. a lot of work has gone into it but this is still a very dangerous operation that continues. >> reporter: it is still a very dangerous operation. i think we ten to forget that even through part of the drilling operation because we did see those videos coming up frequently with miners smiling and joking. we also saw celebrations among

family members on the surface. when breakthrough happened, for example. but make no mistake about it. a collapse could have happened in that mine. another collapse at any time. that mine has been mined now for more than 130 years. and according to miners who have been down in there, they say that it has been badly overmined. there is very little support structure in many of those tunnels. they say other parts of the mine could have collapsed at any moment. also chile on the pacific rim of fire. there is always a danger of earthquakes that could have brought more of the mine crashing down. throughout this whole 69 days, those miners, make no mistake. every minute have been in a struggle for life or death. and even as they're being brought up, this is very much uncharted territory. this kind of rescue has not been attempted before as far as we know. and there are a number of problems that could occur. so far, everything is going smoothly. there is always the chance of

some rock falls, some small rocks, breaking off from inside that rescue shaft and crashing into the fenix capsule even though it is made of metal. just imagine that the damage a heavy rock could do if it fell several hundred meters on to the rescue cage. that has not happened. rescuers are trying to avoid that kind of thing. the other problem rescuers have caused are very keen to avoid, any kind of medical problem with the miners themselves. that's why they're pumping a supply of enriched oxygen into the fenix capsule. that's why they've made such a big effort. putting video and audio link booze sboo the capsule so the miners have constant communication with the surface. they can feedback technical information. if they begin to panic, they can immediately get in could not tack with psychologists as well. there has been every effort to mitigate any effects that might occur if that capsule started to spin on the way up. that is why over the last six hours, prior to these miners'

ascent, they've been fed a liquid diet supplied by nasa. that to help against the effects of nausea on the way up. so yes, although they're making it look easy, and jl though with these very sophisticated fiberoptic signals they're showing us every step of the way of this rescue process, it is still very much a dangerous situation that they are so far making look remarkably easy. >> absolutely right. a real cooperation, too. a number of countries involved in getting us to this point. i don't want to be cynical here. this has been, as we said, a made for tv event in how this has unfolded live on national television. international television as well. for the president, it has been a boone to his popularity. you have a rate wing billionaire president who is now sort of the man of the people.

>> we made that point on september 19th when he showed up just the day after independence day celebrations. he was seen then kissing a baby born to one of the miners' wives. he was also seen signing one of the drill bits. autographing it. it is true at the start of his administration, president face ad back lash. not only because he was the first right wing president but also because of the pace of government reconstruction after the february earthquake was seen as too slow. and also because there were problems with the independence of the indians. certainly this rescue effort, he has gambled his political existence on it and it has paid off for him. his popularity ratings have risen in tandem with this rescue operation.

many people saying let's give him krefld he deserves it. >> not doing any harm by being there to greet everyone of those miners on the way up. stick around. great reporting as always. we'll be checking in with you in the minutes and hours ahead. >> thank you. let's bring in gary tuckman on this. he is watching all of this unfold from a very different vantage point. gary, what's going on where you are? >> reporter: well, colleen, it has been an amazing magical evening watching these miners come up from the surface. right behind us, we're about 600 meters from the site of where these rescues are taking place. we now have three down. 30 to go. at this rate it will take about 36 hours. so it will continue into thursday, maybe friday morning. the fact is the most significant fact. when that first miner came up, it proved this capsule could successfully carry a human being

from below the ground. way below the ground. they've been there 68 days and successfully going up to his family. so while it was a great thrill for his family and his friends to have him back, it told the other relatives and friends that they would likely be carried successfully aboard the fenix. that's what's happening. what is interesting about the situation is we are the closest civilians from the site. it has dwindled down a little bit now that we've had three miners successfully returned to us. even though we're the closest civilians, our viewers are getting a much better view because you have the monitors. you're getting these amazing close-up pictures. we have to take a five-minute walk. being here, focusing on the big picture, seeing the family members to drive up in their cars to greet their loved ones. seeing them transported to the reunion centers where the families and miners get to talk and hug and kiss in private.

it is a remarkable feeling to be part of this situation. >> gary, you know what's interesting, there has been quite a level of transparency in this whole process. i'm amaze that had we're getting pictures as close as we are. we've had so much information about the process. so much informing about what went on under the ground in the days and weeks leading up to this and what is going on now. really unprecedented in so many ways. >> it is really something we have never experience in the term of the mining industry and we may never experience this again. normal wlirk cover mining disasters, mining collapses, we usually are scared to admit and we usually end up admitting that it is a tragic situation. i myself just a few years ago, covered a mine collapse in utah. the crandall canyon mine. and they didn't know if the miners were dead or not. it was similar to this in that

they were looking for them. they weren't successful finding them. in one point in an effort to be transparent, the owner of the mine let me and two other journalists to go into the mine. we had to take a half-hour train ride into the mine way down below as they searched for the miners. if you want to see what's going original come in. we had to take a mine safety course before we went in. we went in. it turned out the miners they were looking for ended up dying. sadly a few days later, the people who were looking for them also died. very scary for us because we were in there with them. it shows us how mining situations -- >> how quickly thing can go wrong. we hope that's not the case here, gary. thank you so much. in case you're just joining us, 33 miners have now become 30. 30 trapped miners save three. brought to the surface over the

last hours of this delicate situation. these miners have been in terrible conditions for more than two months. another big issue is what the psychological damage may be. what sort of psychological challenges these miners now face as they come to the surface. and at some point, obviously, want to try to resume their lives. right? we're downby paula bloom. a clinical psychologist. she is from chile. how are you feeling? >> again, viva chile. very excited. it was really interesting as you were talking about the challenges. it is these moments in life where people have these incredible challenges and opportunities. this is an opportunity for an emotional reboot. a spiritual reboot. this is, these are the moments in life. the existential moments where you get to decide which direction do i want to go? i'm so excited to see what

adventure these guys will be on. >> it will be an adventure. it will be challenge though, too. what are sort of the psych 101? the basics of what they're going to face and what the people who are treating them will be watching for? >> what you really want to look at is how are people functioning. how is your concentration? your focus. sleeping is one of the most important thing. how are you eating? what's going on with relationships? there will be a whole new reaquaning process with the family members. it is great that they had contact which is wonderful. it is a lot. it is a lot. can you imagine going from -- >> no. >> here they've had all of these different starts. they had the 17 days where they didn't know what was going on. >> they thought they were going to die. >> totally. >> amazing. then they get found. then they have this umbilical cord of connection. really, to me, this feel like a birth. i'm watching this and i'm watching the women watch.

and it is like all the emotions of a birth. that last trimester, that last week of your pregnancy feel like the longest. i'm wondering if this has been like. >> you think of the amount of time this group has been down there. there is such an age range. such a background range. how important is it that they stay connected? they keep this group together? >> they're going to be the only guys who get it. no one else will totally get it. people might say, oh, i'm so sorry. i understand. they get it. that will be important. i'm wondering if they want a little distance from these guys, too. they've been together for all this time. i think it will be a push-pull, push-pull. i think it will be very difficult for the family. >> interesting, too. this is the time in which we live. it will be very difficult for these, they're world famous. they won't just be able to go back to their lives anonymously. i've seen reports the men have agreed to stick together, stay

quiet. but they're going to be offered money for their stories. there will be films and books and pressure to talk. some may want to talk. that's a whole other level of potential trouble here. right? they'll be hounded for their stories. you have to recover from this and decide, what i am a going to do with this? >> all of this time they were in the mine, there were a lot of thing they didn't have control oh. their mind set, this is what it shows you. ultimately the way you think, this is where your control is. >> paula bloom, thank you. earlier i talk with greg hall from houston. he own a drilling supply company. that actually worked on the plan b drilling system, a it's they called when it they figured out

how they would get that hole down there. he is one of the experts, one of the engineers who actually worked on the system. and got that hole dug which broke through to the mine orders saturday. listen to this. >> he was extremely professional. everything we asked him derk promptly. he did ask us several time, come on, when are you going to get me out? when are you going to get me out? that was pretty hard. we didn't want to tell him because we didn't really know. >> how significant, greg, in engineering feat, if you will, was it to actually get this hole drilled? >> was by far the hardest hole i've ever seen in my 25 years experience. talking to my peers, they say they think it was the hardest ever. i want to make clear, we had a team. we had the state-of-the-art cluster hammers, we had the greatest drillers come in from lane, from afghanistan. the american drillers. my people. it was a real team. we became a family. we just refused to quit and refused to not be successful.

>> did i hear you right? you're from texas, right? you're from the united states. did i hear you say somebody from afghanistan? this was a global team. >> well, they were american drillers that came from afghanistan. and of course, i've had a company in chile for 20 years. but it was a really, we called ourselves the family. and we work like a family. and we cared about each other. and we worked to get these guys home. >> you're an expert in this technology but i know you've never face ad situation like this before. how did you decide, you know, what to use? what approach to use? and i'm curious. how did you decide how big that hole needed to be or i guess could be? >> well, to me, it seems it wasn't that hard. because first thing i did, i wanted to see what technology was available the quickest. and so there was only two rigs. t-130s which we used in chile so

i knew that was the biggest rig could i use. the drill pipe that i make, the seven inch drill pipe in chile, i knew that was the biggest drill pipe i could use. we started going back from there. and then as in, brannon fish we are the state-of-the-art cluster hammers out of pennsylvania, we got in touch with each other and started talking and slowly form a plan that we really felt would work. and more importantly, the government had enough faith in us to let us try it. >> i don't know if this is a dumb question or not. is all this technology that you used, what you're talking about here, is this technology meant to be used in the normal drilling process? or is an emergency kind of rescue situation like this? >> what we did has, i don't think has ever been done before. we were using normal drilling processes that would usually be used for a four or six inch hole. to follow a pilot hole with a 28 inch hole, finishing with a 26 inch hole in that kind of rock

with all the curves we had to go around, nobody would ever do that. nobody would ever do that. we had to because we had men down there. >> was there ever a point down there where you thought, maybe this was not going to work? maybe you would not break through and reach those miners. >> yes, there was. there was one or two times when i didn't have any answers left. but it worked out. again, we had very professional people. and we wouldn't give up. we drilled it meter by meter. >> were you ever -- >> i apologize. i haven't had much sleep. i'm a little bit weepy sometimes. i apologize. >> i understand. i can see that it emotional and it is completely understandable. i'm wondering too, what your thoughts are with the other members who are down there still. and whether with the business that you're in, whether you ever really look at this technology the same way, too. this is an amazing moment. >> i don't think i'll ever look

at anything the same way. >> really. >> yeah. this is just again, i feel so fortunate to be allowed to be a part of this. it is just incredible. >> how much work needs to be done in the future on the safety issues around mining? >> i'm glad you asked that. brandon again, brandon fisher, he and i have talked. we're going to try -- that's one of the reasons we're making these public appearances. we're going to try to get together and form what would be called a rapid response team. where we would actually have proper equipment. proper people. proper training. where god forbid if this ever happens again, we can there that minute sooner. >> so who are these 33 men who have so captured world's attention? we know about the youngest is just 18. the oldest the 63. joining us with a closer look at

the miners. >> hi there. yes, indeed. it seems to be going pretty much like clock work association to speak. the fingers crossed tow last three hours. one miner an hour has been lifted. we now know there are 30 trapped underneath. three rescued and let's have a look at the miners as we know them that have been rescued. now, the first person to be rescued was florencio antonio avalos silva. he was deemed to be the fittest. he became a cameraman during the whole session the last two months and he was able to help his fellow miners and he was deemed to be the healthiest. we watched those scenes coming up just over two hours or so. his brother, we should say, is trapped in there as well. the second person who was rescued was, if we just move this along here, and we can see. at the age of 40, from santiago, chile, someone who became pretty much an unofficial spokesman. his wife is an accountant.

while waiting at camp hope, she continued to fill out tax forms. the third person we saw just at the top of the hour was juan illanes palma. and he is 52 years of age. and he is electrical mechanic. and he also served as a corporal for chile fighting in the conflict for argentina. he is known as a bit of a singer. he is known to be good at letters and apparently his letters to his wife were full of humor and on that mix. >> do we know who four is? >> there is a pecking order that has been determined and formalized by the rescuers who have gone down. at least three rescuers have gone down. the fourth person we expect to come up is -- let's just move this back here. 23 years of age. he is the one bolivian among the 33 miners. his name is carlos solis. he had only been working there for five days before the collapse.

we know the bolivian president has promised to help him. >> now with the latest who who is there and who is coming to the top. the rescue of the 33 miners trapped underground is obviously a cause for celebration. but not just in chile. all around the globe. our reporter has been monitoring world wide reaction. what's going on outside of chile? >> people around the world are watching the rescue, hoping everything works out as planned. the white house issued this statement from president barack obama which reads in part, quote, white the rescue the s far from over and difficult work remains, we pray that by god's grace, the miners will be able to emerge safely and return to their families soon. we are also proud of all the americans who have been working with our chilean friends and vow to do everything we can to bring those miners home. end of quote. this from barack obama, the u.s.

president. elsewhere in washington, many are holding viewing parties. take a look at this one. the joy is palpable as everybody cheers the moment the first miner make it out chanting, long live chile. with champagne to mark this moment of pride. this is the scene at the viewing party hosted by this man, chile's ambassador in washington, d.c. they were watching the rescue on a big screen tv. some of the guests are wearing national costumes displaying the chilean flag. a moment of national pride. across the globe, every moment of this rescue is being broadcast live. here i want to show you japan tv broadcasting the images. when the rescue capsule was first lowered into the chambers, this is what japan these viewers

saw. and in chile itself, people are on tender hooks. monica is in santiago watching the rescue with her family. she said people in santiago have been talking about this all day long. rushing home to watch. hoping everything will work as planned. i talked to her a short time ago. >> i think my friends and my family are good to be here. like me, sitting on the border of the chair waiting for the moment. and i have friends and my family that are also, i know, sitting in front of the tv. because it is a very important moment. for these are christians or any

other religion, it is very important. we are very proud chileans. people, person, very important for us. >> she said her family will be up all night. i heard people in atlanta talking, watching the rescue all night. they are hoping the miners would get out safely. they were concerned that the risks and they were in awe how the miners have handled this ordeal. >> we'll be up all night watching too. >> absolutely. >> we're not going anywhere. we'll continue our coverage, aren't we? >> we are indeed. three miners safely to the surface. but miles to go before they sleep here. that pod on its way back down again for number four. [ female announcer ] when you save an average of over $450 a year with the humana walmart- preferred prescription plan,

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a miner can get back up to the top and see their loved ones. this has been extraordinary. it caught us all by surprise. when all of a sudden, the chilean government coverage of this, these are government pictures controlled by the chilean government suddenly cut to the miners underground. nobody really expected that. we saw the capsule. the fenix 2 poke through the hole there in the little top area of the screen. absolutely an extraordinary site. we did not know it was going to happen. nobody did. it just popped up. we've got both ends of this covered if you like. i want to bring you up to speed generally on what has been happening. that was the third miner's wife.

there's the president now as he has been there throughout the last day or so waiting for these rescues to come about. the first was just before 11:00 p.m. eastern. midnight local. and it has been running like clock work pretty much ever since. there are three of these capsules. fenix 2 was the least subject to wear and tear. the least used in practices. so that's the one being used at the moment. they do have two in reserve if required. they hope not. and we see another one of those reunions. we're waiting for number four now. >> and it is amazing as you watch it. they almost make it look easy, don't they? >> they do. yeah, yeah.

it's been extraordinary. the organization of this. and it is not -- this hasn't happened by accident. there has been a number of countries involved. nasa involved in the united states and mining experts from australia to canada to england who have been involved and given their expertise on this. >> making it look easy. it has not been easy by any stretch. i want to bring in now david, a mine safety adviser in new zealand, in china as well. parts of europe. he's been watching this in chile and can talk to us more about what he's sxeeg how unprecedented it is. also some of the safety issues around this industry which is very much in the spotlight right now. he join us from new zealand. tell me what you're feeling as you're watching all of this. i think we've lost him. >> caller: i feel like everybody else watching it. it is absolutely an amazing story. three of the trapped miners have

come out already. we can be fairly confident the rest will be freed. the two rescue letters also come out. it will take quite a while. there may be some hitch buzz we'll to have wait and see. >> how difficult was this whole drilling and rescue operation? you know a lot about the technology. a lot about the process. give us the highlights. this was pretty dicey stuff. >> caller: yes, it's unprecedented. it has never been done before. it is all uncharted territory. they had to go through a learning curve. everybody who was involved. specially man on the ground. they have helped to rescue themselves but the drilling team, i was listening to an interview with the plan b team. and they say it was also about as physical as it gets. so when you look at the whole rescue effort from underground, the men themselves and on the surface with the world mining

industry coming in and offering help and advice, it is just incredible. it makes me feel exhausted just thinking about what's being done. >> are there lessons learned from this, dave? are there going to be thing in mining around the world that change because of this? >> i would predict that there will be two or three very important changes. until the whole experience has been analyzed, we won't know exactly which the most important thing are. but there is obviously the fact the men have survived for 69 days. that's unprecedented. three week it was maximum at this point. in china, the drilling, the shaft, the only precedent for that was the rescue of nine coal miners in america in 2002. but they were only 70 meters underground. that's another first. they have blazed a trail, this group of rescuers and this group

of miners. i think the point needs to be made that the mine they were working on was not safe. and we've got to deal with this whole question of safety in a preventive way so it doesn't happen again. this is a horrific experience for everybody concerned. try to imagine what they felt in the first 17 days. it is just, they don't want to talk about it. i don't blame them for that. but that 17 days would have been terror for even experienced miners. >> thinking they were down there and no one would find them. no one could possibly get them out. this mine, i understand, has been in use off and on for more than 100 years. and some expert who have been watching this say this mine was badly overmined. why is that a problem? >> well, that's a problem because you're much more likely to have roof collapses in a mine that has been excessively

worked. we don't know exactly what caused the roof collapse in the tunnel area. but you can, the most amazing thing. this mine didn't have a second means of egress. every underground mine should have two ways of getting in and out. and there was a ventilation shaft, i understand, that had a ladder only part way up it. the miners tried to go up there but then discovered the ladder hadn't been completed. so it is obvious the company, if that was the case, knew there should have been another exit but there wasn't. >> dave, we're going to leave it there. as he mine safety adviser joining us from new zealand. thank you so much. >> we got the story covered from both ends of that shaft that's been drilled. and from all over the place, we've got crews covering it from all angles, including from the town of copiapo which is not that far from the san jose mine

there. all eagerly waiting for any bit of good news. a festive mood on the streets although it is now 2:45 a.m. local time. you see there. this just happen, i guess. the capsule has arrived to pick up number four. >> just touching down in that well-lit space where the remaining miners wait to get on there. >> okay. now patrick is at copiapo. he has been watching the celebration. the jubilation as the miners have reached the surface. three and counting, number four about to get in the capsule for his trip to the top. talk us through your night, patrick. i imagine it has been a bit of a party atmosphere. >> reporter: yes. a fine morning to you from copiapo, chile. the home town of many of these miners. also the home of many other miners. holding the flag is a gentleman named roberto.

he is a miner himself. and this gentleman here, he is a miner himself. and he is going to stay out here as long as he can. a good dozen, two dozen people behind me. he is sort of a diehard. they're not going home. they're going to stay out. they're going to keep watching as these miners are pull out one at a time. the excitement is still here even in the wee hours of the morning. and starting the next several hours, a lot of these miners will be brought to a nearby hospital. this is where they'll be treated. probably spend two to three days in that hospital. and as you can imagine, these miners have gone through such an ordeal. such unique circumstances. no one is really quite sure how well they're doing. they have encountered, truly at risk of post-traumatic stressful take a very close look at them oh the next few days. and if the rescue wasn't

dramatic enough, they'll be flown by military helicopters over the desert and should be landing in the next several hours. so the excitement continues. the rescue continues. and for many people in copiapo, it is too exciting and they will not go to bed tonight. >> i'll bet. give us a post card of copiapo. what is this town like? big, small? what is it like? >> no. it is a big tourist attraction, probably not surprisingly, the mining museum. the plaza was built in the 1700s. one of the oldest town squares in chile so it has the classic spanish feel toixt you know, this is a miner's town. most people here work in mining or tourism. a lot of people come here because of the coast and the beautiful desert other. than that, really, if you live

in this area, you're going to work in the back bone industry of chile. you're going to work in the mines. and as you know, that can be very dangerous business. you're not particularly well paid. maybe well paid by chilean standards. i was talking to one gentleman here and i said what doubted about president pinero saying the mine will be closed? that's very controversial. people say the mine needs to remain open for jobs. and he said no, the mine should be closed. i work there. i know how dangerous that mine is. they should have closed it sea ago. so some interesting feedback from the president's comments staying mine will remain closed unless they can clean up their act. >> and 2:48 a.m. where you are. how many people are in the square? >> it's been -- they're the die hards. they're miners, people who know the miners. people who do not want to go to

sleep. probably got a good 50 people. earlier i would say, you never like to guess crowds but i couldn't see the sides of the plaza. i think a lot of people realize in the morning, the miners will be arriving in their fair city. these men who left this town as miners going to work, clocking in. will return as heroes. 33 men who will never be forgotten in this town. certainly the biggest thing that has ever happen in this town. it is so much bigger in this town. all of chile is watching as this unfolds. and as you know, it has gone beyond the borders. beyond the borders of this continent even. it has become a worldwide phenomenon as we watched that capsule. we all felt like people watching the moon rock. something unbelievable. unexpected. perhaps unexplainable was taking place. that's how people feel as well. >> okay, patrick. thanks for keeping an eye on that. patrick there in copiapo.

he'll be up all night following this for us. >> and we're looking at live pictures. maybe we can go back to those. what we're seeing is the capsule once again. with carlos solis, miner number four who appears to be inside getting toward make his trip to the surface. he will be miner number four to reach the surface. 23 years old. he is actually from bolivia. an incredible note to his story. ett only been working there about five days before this terrible accident. he is loaded up and ready to go. >> surprise, surprise. he got a message to his father-in-law who that that he has decided, he'll 97 work in a mine again. >> you think? >> the bolivian president has gone to chile, too, to greet him top side. >> and is offering him help and support. >> and he is in there. >> we've been talking about the capsule quite a bit, actually. it is very tiny. the miners had to follow a

strict regimen of diet and exercise to make sure that they were the right size and weight to be put in this thing, right? you step in a replica that we have. >> we do have a replica. that's right. our set designers actually made up a replica. you'll see nature minute. i got in it and i could not fit. i was too tall and too wide. >> yes, yes. >> any way, john mann had a look at this replica and he will talk you through what it is like. here it is. let's roll that. >> as we've been telling you, there are three phoenix capsules on the ground in copiapo, chile. we thought we would build one of our own to give you a sense of how tight a fit it will be. this is made out of wood. it is much flimsier than the 13-foot long capsules built out of met balance the help of nasa designers. if you get in, you get a sense of how tight this is. it is about as comfortable as a coffin. close the doors and you feel like you're in some kind of

really bad telephone booth. the difference is though, i can see out to the light of day. it is not claustrophobic. but a man moving through 620 meters of rock is going to see basically rock and danger and darkness in every direction. the men will have audio contact with the surface. they'll have video contact with the surface. they'll have okay general. some experts that it might be a good idea to sedate the men themselves considered the journey so anybody racking. that was a bad idea because they need the men to be aware. they need them to be able to escape through an escape hatch if there is a problem along the way. but there are other concerns as well unrelated to any danger outside the capsule. that is capsule itself. it is so small that once you're in here, your shoulders are locked. there is not a lot of movement possible. the key problem in many respects is not the shoulders. it is the legs. even a soldier standing on a parade ground long enough with legs locked can pass out because of lack of circumstance laying

in the lower half of the body. if you're on a parade ground and you fall oh, what happens? your legs stretch out and the circulation is restored. if you're in a capsule so small that there is no falling over, the concern was that the men would pass out and stay standing up because there was nowhere for their legs to go. in that situation, the capsule itself could prove deadly to the men. so leg room was a crucial issue. there is enough of it apparently in here, one presume there is enough in the fenix capsules. that gives you a sense of what these men are going through. the kind of ricks the journey represents. that the capsule represents on what will be quite literally the ride of their lives. >> thanks to john mann for that. it certainly has been the ride of their lives. when that first capsule came up, just a little under three hours ago, it was quite a moment. that was the big test. that was the moment everybody was waiting for. to see if one person could make it up to the surface and that capsule. what would it behave like with

that winch pulling it? with the full weight of a man in it? all of those questions were on people's minds. and as we saw florencio the first miner to get to the surface, it was quite a moment indeed. the chilean president sebastian pinera has been there at the scene. he has been one of the people greeting the miners as they reach the surface. we want to let you hear what he had to say after that first miner came aboveground. >> i'm so motivated. i'm looking forward for that moment. i have dreamed with that moment so many time. to see them coming out from the bowels of the mountain and see again the light of sun and rejoin with the families, the sons, the daughters. i think that this that started as a possible tragedy will end as a really blessing. because they have given us a

real inspiration of unity, faith, hope, and i think that they have really give us an example. not only for the chileans. for the whole world. >> chilean president sebastian pinero. we were intending to run a sound bite from him after the first miner came to the surface. that was not it. that was a come from the chilean president some week before. this rescue took place. we apologize for the error there. >> we do have that sound bite and we'll get it for you later. he said the rescue had been a miracle and thanked all the technical experts who made a possible set. he said it was a night of emotion and said when chile is united, we're capable of doing great things. we'll get that sound bite for you in the minutes ahead. meanwhile, we're done for the moment. >> we are indeed. i'm colleen mcedwards. >> rosemary church and john mann will be along in about five minutes from now. stay with cnn. our continuing coverage of this

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hello and welcome to the continuing coverage of the mine rescue efforts in chile. >> we also want to welcome our viewers tuning in from the united states and around the world to what may be the final hours of an incredible ordeal. >> it has been spectacular. plan b works like a charm and

all of colpiapo is celebrating. weeks of drilling has made it a short trip. >> now it's a 15 minute ride and three of them have already made that trip. they have been greeted by hugs and cheers. >> and the miners all appear safe and sound but one is being whisked from the limelight for medical checks. this is a round the clock operation. a special made capsule is on its way to pick up miner number four. >> this is the longest anyone has been trapped underground and lived. gary, this has never been attempted before with men this far underground for this length of time but it seems to be going perfectly. >> reporter: it's going very well. the most important thing we have seen so far is that two hours and 15 minutes