tonight on fox news, we'll watch history in the making. the rescue of 33 miners, hopefully, healthy, happy and glad to be home. hannity is up now! >> sean: this is a fox news alert. the effort to rescue 33 trapped miners in the mine is underway. as of right now the rescue crew is at the timing a capsule that will be lowered underground to bring the mine surface. these are custom designed to protect health and privacy. they will be sent below ground and slowly brought back to the surface. this operation is expected to last for two days. the miners have been trapped half a mile below ground since august 5th, after a cave in at the mine in northern chile. at one point they were left for dead. joining me in new york is shepard smith. outside of the mine where the rescue operations are underway with the latest is steve

harrigan tonight. steve, how are you. welcome. give us an update. >> reporter: thanks sean. right now that capsule is being adjusted. we've seen engineers go at it with wrenches and hammers, pounding it into shape. on the one hand it is a high-tech capsule it can monitor the miners' health conditions direct communication to the surface. yet, it is a tight fit many along we've seen a great deal of improvisation in this rescue. different attempts tried, three different wells drilled. that improvisation is continuing to the final moments as engineers pound away at that high-tech capsule to make sure, it only has two inches of leeway on either side. we've seen it go down and come back up empty. that must be agonizing for some of those 33 miners, to be within arm's reach of that capsule then to have it go up again. what we are likely to see is an announcement by the president of chile that the rescue operation has begun.

that can come minutes away when that capsule is lowered again, it could contain a rescue medic from the chilean navy. he will be the 1st down to monitor those miners as the operation gets underway. >> sean: let's talk about the medic. the pursuant of which when they get down there they are going to do what steve? >> reporter: certainly. he's going to monitor the condition of those 33, to determine in part the order and perhaps to medicate anyone who needs urgent attention. certainly a brave thing to do to get in that capsule and go down half a mile where those miners have been now for 68 days. some information too about the order the miners will come out on. originally it was thought some of the weaker miners would be the first ones up with health problems. because of the potential snags one of the strongest will be the first man out. the last man out announced as well. that's been a point of pride. he's been the one who rationed

the food when the miners were left for dead for the first 17 days. he's been sort of a father figure. he will probably become a national hero if all goes well today and he does become the last man out after 69 days, half mile beneath the earth's surface. >> sean: a lot has been made about the privacy of the miners. we are told it will take an hour for each to get above, maybe 36 hours in total. as we understand, they are going to be ushered through an inflatable tunnel like those used in sports stadiums to an ambulance for a trip 100 or so yards away to get immediate medicine -- to get immediate medical attention. you see that set up? >> reporter: we do see the tent, hospital and as well. the chilean government on the one hand is providing a lot of media access. they bulldozed half of this mountain so media could be up here. on the other hand they are controlling that access and

pictures. it is their cameras providing the live feed. they have that chilean flag-draped if things go badly we are likely to see little. if things go well we could see some pop out for a brief wave or greet the press, that is possible. the miners have talked about needing privacy. it is going to be a range of emotions. they are going to be coming from half a mile underground up to the surface in the desert. they are going to be bombarded. it is a lot to handle. a lot to process after two months of isolation. >> sean: some of the problems and fears they have is the fear of rock falling into the tunnel and margin of error as i understand it is limited and this capsule, their great fear is it will cause claustrophobia and anxiety for the guys coming up? >> reporter: a whole range of problems could happen. some are engineering. it is not a straight shot up

and down. that capsule will be lowered by steel cables. it will be a crank that will race and lower it. not a lot of leeway just a couple of inches. concern could be panic attacks. some have health problems. there's high blood pressure, one is a diabetic, one is 63-years-old. concerns about health as well. a number of possible problems, all along the way this government has shown multiple options up its . three different holes drilled. a couple different capsules ready. they've been able to empro vice and immediate their -- and meet their deadlines so far. the hope is they continue to meet those deadlines tonight. >> sean: steve harrigan on the scene. joining me shepard smith with analysis on the medical challenges that these miners will face as they are brought up from the ground our fox news medical contributors dr. mark see gal and

dr. kumar. shep, you have been following this all day. one of the reasons this is risky is because no one else has tried to extract miners from these depths. you have covered stories like this in the past it makes it extraordinarily challenging. >> shepard: it is sean. one of the things they had concern was the shaft wouldn't maintain its own integrity. that there might be a rock to fall or something like that which could stop this in its tracks for a short period of time. they've been improvising throughout the process. first they shored the inside of this shaft. then they put shock absorbers and wheel along the side of the capsule which will be lowered. their belief that will cut the friction down to such a miniscule amount they won't have any of those problems. just in case they do, they have back-up capsules, they have back-up cables. they have a back-up for every back-up. we believe what we will see is a successful rescue attempt.

any sort of snags along the way could slow it down. >> sean: the biggest problem medically speaking, she did stay there. the biggest problem -- shep, stay there. the biggest problem, concern is panic attack, claustrophobia, which is understandable considering how tight the cab sewell is for such a long period of time they are heading from a coal dark hole, extracted out of this trapped place. how big a concern would that be? >> it is a very figure concern. you can imagine if you are in an mri machine it is a very tight, tight compartment. even that 30 minutes can seem like an eternity. for these miners to be in this small compartment for an hour and to be experience being the changes and also the mental stress they've had to go through and the anxiety about getting to the top panic attacks are a concern many panic attacks there are first cal symptoms an society.

>> sean: trigger some type of heart problem? . >> it mimics a heart attack when you have a panic attack. the person can't control their symptoms themselves. >> sean: they said they wouldn't sedate them is there minor sedation they can use or anti-anxiety medication of some kind? >> i don't expect them to sedate them because they may have low blood pressure because their muscles may not be up to the normal tone. i agree with the doctor they may have anxiety. but they've shown such courage up to now. i expect it to continue. when they are on the phone they can focus on the voice on the other end that will help. most of the problems are going to be post-traumatic stress. weeks from now it is going to hit home what they've gone through. >> i agree. i think post traumatic syndrome is a concern. families have to monitor them. they have to continue to have counseling or be able to talk to the doctors about depression. if they are having problems sleeping. those are some of the signs.

>> sean: what are some of the things that could go wrong if somebody does pan nixon the way up? >> -- somebody does panic on the way up? >> as anybody knows when you start feeling claustrophobic and you are panicking, your arms start to flail, you physically start to lash out. that they are not going to create shaking or motion in the capsule. as they've reported if there's any friction that is going to create a major problem in the rescue effort. >> sean: hang on we have adam housley standing by with a sister of one of the trapped miners. adam? >> reporter: right now we are not an far from where the rescue is taking place. the family intertwined with the media. this lady here, elisa i had a chance to speak with her. she doesn't speak english. i want you to hear her voice.

one of the amazing stories her brother is inside. [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: she says very nervous, very impatient about what is going on inside. back to you sean right now. >> sean: shep, you have covered a lot of these stories over the years. as you read some of the stories of some of the miners you hear the story of one guy proposed to his partner and asked her hand in marriage on one of the video communications they had. and they were able to send up. you have another case, a wife gave birth to a baby girl on settlement 14th. they've been down there since august 5th. you have health problems, hypertension, diabetes. one of the more compelling sides of this, assuming everyone gets up safely is the

family side of this. >> shepard: every sort of human story will be emerging from that cave at some point. i was interested to hear from the sister with adam. adam, if you are able to do the translations, could you ask what the first 17 days were like? if there was a time when she thought her loved one had died there as we are lead to believe? >> reporter: i will, yeah. i want to say what she said a moment ago. her brother is 48 years old, lives nearby he's very strong and very nervous and a lot of the men below are nervous. [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: they were very scared. they didn't know what to think. what she is saying, she said their family they didn't know what to think but they never gave up hope.

for 79 days they've been outside. they've been outside since before they knew the men were alive down be the same story you hear as you go down. you can see the flag of chile. on it they have all sorts of things written. a lot saying strength. she has written a lot of things to her brother. she believes he will come out alive as many of the families do. as she said they've been here for 79 days which is an incredible amount of time to be in this desert. they say they will stay until the last man comes out. >> shepard: i feel you adam. i'm wondering what sort of communication she has had with him over these days? has she been able to speak with him through video or audio link?

>> reporter: you are right 69 days my mistake. [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: she spoke to him yesterday for two minutes. she only talked to him on the phone for two minutes yesterday. >> shepard: what did she say to him? >> reporter: she says he's very, very nervous. she loves her brother with all her heart basically. >> shepard: don't forget to translate. >> reporter: sorry. i asked her it is very

difficult for all the family? she said yes because they've been here. she keeps saying they are very nervous. they all want this to happen. how could you not be nervous. >> shepard: what is the first thing she hopes to do? >> reporter: she had to clarify. what is the first thing she wants to do when he gets here? your whole family? [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: i got most of what she said. from what she said here and from our conversation. when they come out, a -- i get

most, not all. they -- the first thing is hug them. they want to hug and be able to see. i asked if she wanted to have a party? not the first thing they are concerned about. these people have been holding vigils. people like her, her family -- three children. he has three kids, back to you guys in new york. we'll get more information and try to do the best with the language barriers and get the feeling of the families. >> shepard: adam that was great. i had no idea you had it in it. imagine being that woman in that position for 69 days. the first 17 you didn't know if your guy is alive. >> sean: shep?

>> shepard: sorry. >> sean: i give you credit picking up 69 versus 79 days. it is such a feel-good story you see the great anxiety and anticipation. as we go back to a live shot it looks like they've put this down for another test. shep, you covered this great detail on fox report tonight. i want to explain once again to our audience. what we can expect throughout the night here. they want to have a test first. secondly, after that test is finished, they will be sending paramedics down. in -- from there you will explain. >> shepard: we think is the last test this is the test where they will take the capsule down to the spot where the people who are stuck in the mine would be able to see it, as it descends. it will go almost all the way down into the cave then brought back up, opened up and they will put this rescue worker in and allow it to descend again. after that the first of the

miners will begin to be rescued. the first is floor recent so the strongest guy down there got them -- -- them organized. in the beginning decided that the rationing would be two teaspoons of tuna and a little milk per day. that went on for 17 days. since then, they've been exercising. dieting. you have to be a certain size to get into a 21 inch tube. to be frank in the early going some of these guys were overweight. they've changed that. each time down and up will take about 20 minutes. the first in a short period of time then the rest of them tomorrow night. >> sean: the last test, to give people more details. what rescuers have done they've finished reinforcing the top of the, escape shaft early today and the 13 foot tall capsule is descending

down there, it has been flawless in the test runs, a white, blue and red capsule the biggest of the three built by chile's navy and their engineers. i was named phoenix for the mythical -- it was named phoenix for the mythical bird that rises from the ashes. they've strapped into this claustrophobic steel tube which is going to be hauled up one mine either an i a time. for the last six hours before surfacing, they are going to be drinking, which happened earlier tonight, a special high calorie liquid diet prepared and donated by our own nasa designed to keep them from vomiting as the capsule will go through the difficult task of being brought to the surface. what engineers did is they inserted a steel piping at the top of the shaft. they stopped sooner than planned after the sleeve became jammed during a probe of the curved hole angled 11° off the vertical.

drillers had to curve the shaft so it would pass through this new, what they call virgin rock rely avoiding collapsed areas in the underground open spaces. the miners will wear oxygen masks. they also have a camera they are going have to look for signs of claustrophobia. the pulse skin temperature, respiration rate is going to be measured through this meter they've put in their abdomens to prevent blood clotting of any kind they took aspirin and are going to wear compression socks. the doctors have remained with us. why don't you explain why they are doing these things, special drink, aspirin, what is the purpose? >> they are wanting to keep their blood pressure up, at a normal pressure, especially as they start to do the ascent, they don't want the blood pressure to drop too low. they want to keep the heart rate well monitored. they want to keep glucose

levels up. if they become hypoglycemic it can cause them to faint. trying to take as many precautions as possible, keeping them calm and trying to prevent them from fainting as they go up. >> -- dehydration is the biggest problem. they got to keep them well hydrated. they are wise to use something nasa created this high calorie drink hopefully that will keep them well hydrated. also worried about arrhythmias, monitoring is good. have they been expose odd to methane gas and carbon monoxide down there? that is going to be looked closely at in the days to come. >> sean: obviously they are not in the best physical condition. >> they have underlying medical problems. >> sean: hypertension, diabetes, how would that impact somebody coming out? >> unfortunately, they may not know how they've been affected. they could have had heart damage and not know it. these are very courageous

individuals. they may not be complaining. they may have picked up infections. >> sean: what about the issue of preventing blood clotting? i assume aspirin is taken as a preventive for that. why would they take aspirin what is the fear of blood clotting as they come out of this -- >> exactly the way you just said that. they've been exercising. the problem is they've been mainly lying down. now they are going to be standing up. if they have a blood clot this is when it can break off. taking an aspirin for several days in advance and using the come pressure -- compression stockingsm should cut down on the risk but they will be watching. >> aspirin breaks down platelets. platelet causes us to clot. it is important to prevent clotting. as mark is correctly saying as they go up, now they are standing this is when the biggest risk for that clot to break off and that's fatal as that travels to the lung and s

off the pulmonary artery. >> sean: they stretched this emergency food supply meant to last eight hours by taking tiny sips of milk and bites of tuna fish everyday. amazing story how they were organized, calm, now we've seen communication they've been to get up to the surface. but that too is going to play an impact as they come out. >> definitely going to be malnurished. no sunlight, vitamin d, deficiency, increased risk of bleeding, bones softer. it was wise they stretched it out. they are going to look at electrolytes. all their blood work. they are wise to put them in the hospital. >> sean: i don't want to assume anything. as the paramedic decents down helping them prior to their trip up likely they will bring supplies needed to prepare them for the trip up? >> yes and they are going to make sure they are stable before they get in the tube. how stable are they before we

put them in? >> sean: they can only try and stabilize them so much. there is no option after 69 days. >> they may give them intravenous fluids. that may be one of the reasons they are bringing the strongest up first, to stabilize the other ones. >> sean: we have the director of the miner training program, i wanted you to weigh in. your initial thoughts on the operation we see unfolding before our eyes tonight? >> thanks sean for having me on the shoo -- on the show. my assessment is the whole rescue seems to have been going well and well prepared. i think kudos to all the engineers and all the folk are involved in this. >> sean: tell us what risks you see trying to extract these miners from depths we've never seen before. >> right, that's the one variable different from say the -- from say the creek

rescue and so forth. that's going to be a long 20 minutes. longest 20 minutes of their lives for everybody involved. it looks like they are following a good protocol. they've done a lot of preparation work. >> sean: obviously, you want to get to these miners as quickly as possible. we see how really thin this tube is. that brings up issues we've been discussing medical, claustrophobia, panic attack and all the thing as that can happen. any bigger hole is going to take longer. this is to expedite the process? >> yes, absolutely. i want to mention, part of the preparation for the miners, may be the coordinator, maybe the paramedic, will mention about thinking forward. as they are coming up, the capsule to be thinking

positive and somebody mentioned there will be communication there and they will be focusing on that. they are miners. they are used to being underground. although, this capsule is a lot tighter than the void they've been in. i think that is key they think forward. think positive. >> sean: doctor, we've had past mining asks over the years -- accidents over the years in other instances it has not come out so well. what do you think it was in this case, i don't know there's a lot of safety standards that miners have put in place and we've learned from past accidents and incidents what is it in this case that you think this mine did right? >> well, this is just a fortunate incident. in that the cave, which i'm not real familiar with how extensive it was. it must have been pretty extensive, because it trapped

them. must be a lot of material there trapping them and so forth. but none of them, you know thankfully, were hurt in that. they were all in an area where they were not, you know, hit by the debris. of course the upper big bran. -- big branch we had the explosion, miners killed instantly. the one in crandell canyon they were in the direct line of fire. >> sean: thank you. shepard smith has an update on some of the news developing as we speak. it is 9:26 on the east coast, 6:26 on the west coast. >> shepard: we've just got information they are testing the communication devices that will connect them to the mine once the first rescue work down there.

within the capsule, we saw them drop it down, that was a process during which they would test the communication. they are not being able to talk back and forth there's a camera installed at the top of that cylinder, they will be able to monitor vital statistics of the men as they come up. it is our understanding, of course this could change, the next time the capsule goes down, the rescue worker or emergency medical tech will go down with that capsule. i want to read a letter from a 19-year-old miner trapped in there, if possible. his name is sanchez. translated from spanish. jimmy sanchez is his name. here's the letter he sent to his loved one: hi, i'm very good. i'm not nervous yet. this was a couple days ago. i believe when it is my turn to get up to the capsule my nerves will attack me badly. right now i'm happy and calm. i've always been this way yes, it has been since august 4th,

that i've not seen you that was two months plus ago. for me it is like it was yesterday that we got caught here in mine. god wanted know stay here, maybe so i can change from now on. i'll have thoughts and i'll have a change a lot. i have suffered too much and don't want to suffer any more. in the hard and difficult times, i was thankful to god because i have a daughter. i expect that when my turn arrives, everything will be okay. hugs and kisses for everyone. sean it is hard to put yourself in the position with these folks who have been down there for 69 days not knowing whether they would live or die. now the moment is upon us. within the next few minutes the first will be rescued. something else. >> sean: it is. this could be one of those inspiring moments in life. what an incredible letter. we have steve harrigan on the scene outside where the miners will be coming up with adam

housley plenty more to come tonight. for the latest information on this mission to save the 33 chilean miners trapped much more coming up as fox news coverage continues. [ male announcer ] the next big thing from lus is not a car.

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>> sean: rescue efforts to bring miners trapped underground are underway. the rescue crew is testing a rescue capsule above the mine before lowering it below ground. the miners will be brought to the surface, one at a time in the steel capsules. the entire operation is expected to last 36 hours. standing by at the mine with the latest is our own steve harrigan. steve? >> reporter: sean for the last two hours we've seen that capsule go up and down empty. what we are waiting for an announcement from the president of chile, likely to say any time now that the rescue operation has begun.

after he says that, we are likely to see a navy medic get inside that capsule and be lowered slowly down to where those 33 miners have been waiting for 68 days. he's likely to take medical readings on each miner. provide any emergency medical attention and prepare the first o'first man for his rise to the top. the first will be among the fittest, strongest, they will be able to deal with adjustments. the last miner out has been a named. for two months now plus this entire nation has been waiting and watching and hoping. the government has thrown tremendous resources here out in the desert creating a tent sympathy. throwing up internet, tents, feeding the families for free. winning popularity throughout this crisis as we've seen the president's own popularity rise as he ties himself closely to this rescue effort. >> sean: one of the really fascinating and interesting human sides of this story is

the fact that the miners, we're told, were debating among themselves, no you go first, you go first. a lot of speculation, stories out there, as to why it was they wanted to be the last one out? >> reporter: some talk about perhaps wanting to be in the guinness book of world records. perhaps for the recognition of what it means to be the last man out of mine. to be the real leader who sees all 32 of your companions go to safety first before you. then put your own safety last. remarkable position. the man they've chosen for it, he seems to be a remarkable man. he's sort of a father figure. it was he during those especially tough 17 first days when the miners were presumed dead, he organized the rationing of food, which kept them alive. it is a position of honor. it is a position that marks someone who is strong. a position largely that could

make this man a national hero and mood dell -- and model for chileans for generations to come. >> sean: adam housley is standing by. joining him the niece of one of the trapped miners. her name is patricia lobos. her uncle is the famous chilean football player frankie lobos. adam? >> reporter: frankie is well-known here. when the first reports came in the men were alive and he was one of those stranded down there the country knew of him in 1984 he played for the national team. as we know from the recent world cup a very important sport, the national sport. patricia has been talking to me off camera about your uncle. he's 53-years-old.

i asked her -- [ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: what did the family think the first 17 days? she is saying there was a lot of information. mix of hopefulness, desperation. they didn't know if they were alive. it was -- difficult for your family the first days? she was saying to me, their family out as soon as they knew. the first 17 days families from across the country didn't know what to think. worried he would be dead,

hopeful he would be live. the last days have been so much better. but he's ready to come up. the one question i wanted to ask her was, how many kids he had? two daughters. 25 and 20 years old. they are here as well, waiting with her. patricia and so many people like patricia their families have been here for 69 days holding vigil here. i talked to her about the conditions at night. she told me that it is very difficult. in the daytime it is warm at night it is extremely cold. i asked what are they going to do when he returns here?

[ speaking spanish ] >> reporter: his wife and kids the first people who are going to see him obviously, they can't wait to see him. it is going to be quite a reunion. we appreciate your time. i asked her -- told her good luck with everything. even in my broken spanish and we have locals who have helped us, every family has a story like this. they are all here. they have pop-up tents,. they have bonfires things written on rocks, flags, pictures. they've had a chance to bond as a group as they wait for the 33 inside. i asked what about the media from all over the world?

it is a little crazy she says. she likes it. she says it helps get information. sean back to you as we talk to patricia off camera. we'll have more stories for you throughout the night as everybody waits for that capsule to come back up and hopefully take that first rescuer down. >> sean: incredible human interest story and these families have every right to be excited about what is about to happen. we go back to our new york studio. shep smith has been standing by. >> shepard: that was great to hear. if you take that -- you see that thing at the top, it is clear they first lowered the capsule down, the 2300 feet or so. it is our belief now they are bringing that capsule back to the surface with hopes they will be able to take the first

medic down. it is about a 20 minute trip up and down. make no mistake it is not like an elevator shaft. i think we have a graphic in which you can see the path. it starts on the surface. then it grows -- it doesn't go straight down. that is not how it works. the truth is, that shaft has two bends in it, as it goes down. there you can see. the cable has to rest against the side of the shaft. you can see how that would create trick . they shored it up in the middle. the hope is the cable is not going to cause any problems. we were reading quotes from the local disaster officials a moment ago. who say we've been lucky and we have to continue to be lucky or this won't go well. all pictures fed to us by chilean television. if you saw the opening of the shaft a moment ago before the pool feed switched away. you can see see the steam coming out. it is much warmer in the mine than on the surface.

a chilly night there, 20 minutes until 11:00 tonight. they are expecting it to get much colder as the night progresses. we've been reading some of the difficulties they've been having. right now the matter is communications. they want to make sure not one moment during the ascent of these miners are they without communication. they need to know how they are doing. they have camera, microphones, monitors for vital statistics. to hear it from the top of the associated press wires, chile has done a remarkable job of preparing to rescue these miners, according to the u.s. mine safety department, the risks were laid out in an interview with the associated press. a miner could get claustrophobic and do something that damages the capsule or himself or a rock could fall and wedge itself in the shaft. between the capsule and the shaft itself.

or the cable could get hung up. or the rig that pulls the cable could over heat. there are a lot of things that could go wrong. to hear it from the experts on this -- here in the united states and there in chile, they worked very hard, they've been very lucky. they hope the luck holds through the night. we expect we'll see the capsule in a moment. on the right all the precautionary measures. video from down below miners were sending greetings to the families. they worked hard to control the narrative, the chilean government has. they were mentioning our correspondents from the scene what a big political event this is. the popularity of the president has gone up dramatically during this. they want to control the message. as a result, when the first miner comes up, and all subsequent miners they will be in -- will be at last a 30 second delay on the pictures which we see, the radio broadcast which come out and

the one still cameraman will be at scene. it will not be instantaneous should something go wrong we won't see it right away. should everything go right, we will. as the moon sits in the chilean sky we wait for that capsule to come back up and the first rescue to get underway. >> sean: just to confirm once that capsule comes back up, they will send a medic down, 20 minutes each way. we could within the hour after have the first miner rescued. >> shepard: that's the hope. >> sean: we'll have the latest from the site of this dramatic rescue of 33 miners trapped underground in chile and much more right here on the fox news channel. set it in motion... and it goes out into the world like fuel for the economy. one opportunity leading to another...

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>> sean: our continuing coverage of the rescue efforts of this chilean miners. we are getting reports that there might have been a small problem in the first test of the capsule that was sent down. a report that the door may have been damaged. we go back to our new york studios and shep smith with the latest on this and all the other breaking news. >> shepard: you just said all i know this is a report from a chilean spanish language website, which is an official channel for information out of there. we don't know the extent of the damage. the wheel on top of the thing

is moving again. that's video from earlier. if we can go back to the live picture. the wheel on top is moving. there we go. the wheel is moving. so we believe they are at last to -- at least able to bring it back out. how would it have been damaged? they talk about a rock breaking loose or something from the side. we don't know. we do know the wheel has been starting and stopping as we've been watching the feed. that is not a live picture. i don't know what is going on. >> sean: we've been watching this all day. this test was obviously crucial and important to the overall success of this rescue effort. the information that we know from the government has been contained from the very beginning. that includes the privacy of the families. they even have a plan in place where they have tents set up that when the miners come out there's only one camera there that is state run media. is controlled by media. does that add credibility in

your mine to the report? >> shepard: some people are getting information and some aren't. they suggested it may be there was a slight damage on the door. that said, it is a metal door, you think they would be able to fix it once they get top. i suppose the only problem could be if the door is damaged in the middle of the shaft they might have a problem getting the thing back up. they will give us something official at some point there. is no way for us to confirm this. even know we have a big crew and a number of correspondents on scene there's no information coming out. we are waiting for an announce from the president of chile. it is true we are slightly behind schedule. it looks as if that wheel has been moving and then not moving again. the cable is over the wheel that is what is hoisting that cylinder up and down throughout the testing process. it is our belief if this is going well and if there's a problem with the door next get it fixed we'll move right

along. >> sean: the fear would be shep, of course speculative if that state run news agency is right that might point to the possibility of some type of structural defect in terms of their ability to get this down repeated -- repeatedly 33 times and back up that would be everyone's concern and worst-case scenario. we got to hope that is not the case. >> shepard: let's wait for the president and see what he says. >> sean: we have more breaking news throughout the evening. coming up all the latest news. stay with us as our fox news coverage continues, straight ahead. wake up time. but not for your eyes. they're still so tired-looking. with olay, challenge that with regenerist anti-aging eye roller. its hydrating formula with caffeine-conditioning complex perks up the look of eyes. it works in the blink of an eye.

>> sean: this is a fox news alert. the rescue mission to bring

the 33 miners trapped underground in chile is underway. even if all guess well and they are brought to the surface safely these miners may face a host of medical issues. joining know discuss the long term affects of this incident are dr. kumar and dr. siegel. within question we have not asked. apparently they are putting googles on the miners they are going to wrap them in blankets because of differing temperatures it is warmer in the mine as they come up it gets extraordinary cold. why the glasses, why the blankets, does that sound like a good requested? >> blankets are important to keep their temperature constant. it is hot down there now they are coming to the surface where it is very cold. they want to keep the temperatures as constant as possible because they don't have reserve left. the glasses are important they are going to be exposed to much brighter lights than down

in the mines and the adjustment period is going to be long. >> sean: hard hat and red jacket is the chilean president whose popularity has soared throughout this entire ordeal as he has done everything possible, obviously to support the families and the miners that have been trapped down there. obviously, the people of chile are appreciative. i want to go back to this issue, blankets, glasses, agree with the assessment? >> absolutely. even at night, right now it is night down there. they come out now even the bright lights shining they need glasses. their pores have been exposed 90° heat, white open when they hit the cold it is like a blast they have to be covered with blankets. >> sean: we talked about the claustrophobia issue the fear of panic attack, as they are coming up, 20 minute trip up out of the mine, they are not giving them any sedation. we talked about that in detail. you both agree that could be a

potential problem. what are the long term problems they may face? some of the miners have diabetes, some may have heart issues, some have hypertension, we know these medical conditions exist. what do you believe are some of the long term problems they may face? >> they may have had heart damage. there could have been minor heart tax diabetes could have been out of control that can do a lot of damage. >> sean: why minor heart attacks? >> hot, 90° heat they may not have complained. they are not getting enough hydration. you have a heart attack in a state of low volume, dehydration. also they've been exposed to a lot of toxins. methane gas can lead to neurological problems that may have long term side effects. that has to be tested carefully. >> sean: soldiers at war post-traumatic stress disorder. i would think after 69 days in a mine like this, finally

seeing your family again, living down there with the stress and anxiety not knowing if you are going to get out of this mine. how big a possibility is that and what do you think the long term issues are? >> i think it is a real possibility, certainly the families and doctors are going to be monitoring them for signs of depression, sleeplessness, anxiety, irrational response to certain stimulus. >> sean: what would be an irrational response to stimulus? >> if they hear a strange noise, it is more than just an alert, they may go into panic or have major anxiety over sudden noises. >> flashback to being in that mine. >> sean: there was a chilean news agency reporting that during one of the test runs of putting the capsule in the ground before they brought the miners the plan was they would send it down, if the test went well, the idea would be to send the medic down and hopefully the miners would start coming up one by one.

there was a report that there might have been a damaged door during that first test. shep smith in new york with an update on that situation. shep? >> shepard: i was just getting an update on that now. we are getting multiple reports that may have been the case. the capsule is still on i i was down for what we believe to be the final test run. at one point i thought it was coming up, it wasn't. it was descending the whole time, pausing along the way. now there are multiple reports of this possibility that the door has been damaged. here's the thinking now, they will try get this thing fixed. hang on, i'm logging in. we don't know the severity of it. we know -- okay our team now confirms, i'm getting in my ear, there was damage to this door. but it was minor damage and it is damage they believe next correct when they get it back up to the surface. they are continuing to lower

it. because that's what this test requires. once they get it back up to the surface. they will take it back down again with the medic technician onboard. for some reason i'm having a hard time -- that's the latest as we know it. we can confirm the door on the side of the capsule has been damaged only slightly. they are lowering it down for the last test. they will bring it back up. the think is, after that they will be able to put the rescue worker in and begin the process. >> sean: shep smith in new york who has been on the story thanks for being with us for the full hour we appreciate it. doctors, thank you both. we'll continue to watch, wait, monitor, hope and pray that all these miners are rescued successfully after 69 days, august 5th, they've been down in this mine. fox news is continuing coverage all night long right here on the fox news channel. that