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wide range of companies. what can we do for you? >> and now "bbc world news." >> that loved ones, the men saw them for the first time physically in 69 days. let's just take you to the first moment, which was just after midnight. the man who was the cameramen underground that was brought up through those amazing pictures of the 33 miners working with rescue teams, driving those bulldozers, clearing the debris and rubble from the drilling rigs, trying to penetrate the underground chamber where they have been trapped. the second man, the man who was seen by millions of people around the world as the miners

official group spokesman. he came out and he was just bubbling, bursting with energy. he kissed his family and his wife and children. the president and the first lady, the other ministers, they hugged and cheered for the rescue teams that had been working on the surface here. the pictures coming to us now are of the ninth man of. 63 years old, a legend here for what he has experienced in the deed what he has done in his life. what is fascinating about him is not that he has survived so long underground, that his family has all been minors, but he has

been through something like this before. during the first gulf war he and his brothers tried to -- catch a cargo ship to germany. they hid themselves in a container as stowaways and they thought that once they were on the high seas they would be able to release themselves from the container and ask the captain to help them to get to europe. what instead happened was that the container would not open and they were locked away for 11 days. mario gomez, seen here now, he had been trapped. surviving only on the water they drink from their shoes. the families were saying that if anyone was underground with him here, they were sure to find a way through. that is exactly what has happened.

mario gomez lost three fingers on his left hand 10 years ago in a mining incident. a legend in this part of the country. his wife and children have been camped out here as well. he is on his knees now, thinking god for his survival. huge media interest in this story. of course, overnight and throughout the next 24 hours. mario gomez now embraced by his wife, explaining how much he loves her and how much he relies on her. and how he wants their lives to return now to the happiness that they have had in recent years. the old list minor now on the surface, and the youngest one. jamie sanchez, the 19-year-old,

on the surface now. gomez, shaking hands with the lead rescue leader now. the mining minister, who has staked so much time and political capital on bringing these men to the surface. he said it was the only thing that he could do, working tirelessly night and day. affectively the president's representative. the spokesman for the home affairs ministry, another man who has rarely left this san jose mind. all of them, knowing mario gomez, at 63, is a legend. the man has silicosis, the miners disease. a man that doctors and medics

were concerned for, along with other elderly or older miners at high risk. wrapped in a blanket of its the cheers here at campeau, sounds perhaps reaching him just 100 meters away. as with an oxygen mask now, he is being lifted onto that trolly. still waving out in his right hand, punching the air. for the second time in his life, he has survived against all the odds. now being taken into the hospital. remarkable scenes overnight. tales of heroism. these men that went in as minors on august the fifth, coming out

now as international superstars. the scenes have been so moving, when you see children looking out at the capsule coming from 622 meters below, seeing their father for the first time in 69 days, something that perhaps they fought in the back of their not -- back of their mind that they would never see again. the fact that no other mind in the world has ever survived this long underground is a real testament to the authorities for them, keeping them same, safe, and a live. let's catch up on tonight's wonderful pictures. >> here is the first ascent of the phoenix capsule. there it is, disappearing up

that hole with a minor inside. >> 69 days, 2,000 feet down, finally this. the beginning of the end of an ordeal, a moment that some believe that they would never see. 15 minutes later, he has made it into the arms of his family at last. this was a moment that was price was not just for his loved ones, but for those still waiting for theirs. for the minor, now a national hero, an embrace from the president. >> we promised to find them. this is the last part of our promise, to rescue them, to bring them out safe and sound. >> throughout the night the wheel that was pulling the capsule had been turning effortlessly.

next to a merger was mario sepudavis. look at his energy. who would have believed that he had been trapped for so long? >> god has won over the devil. >> in the hours that followed came carlos mimani, the only bolivia and in their number. they were chosen to go first because of their physical and mental strength. jimmy sanchez was the youngest, calling his underground hell. the oldest to be rescued, emerging to an emotional embrace from his wife.

then came jose of the doll -- vidall. the eighth to be rescued, helped to his wife. who could blame him for not wanting to let go. the story, the plight of these men, it has gripped chile and far beyond. with each rescue came seeds of unadulterated joy throughout the country. in their time below ground they have shared a birthday, a marriage proposal, and the birth of a baby. her name, hope, something that

her rescuers never give up on. >> we have heard amazing pictures from inside the area where the miners have been collecting, speaking to their families at we have seen those shots. also from underground, none of us expected to get the sort of access that had been provided by the chilean government. when that first picture emerged of the capsule actually falling through, there was a gasp all around. they even had cameras for us as well. one minor, a man that speaks his mind, a man that was a union official in another pit close by, even manage to go as far as to give a very impromptu press conference to the cameras after being reunited with his wife and

children. he said that he had met god and the devil belowground. and that god had one. this is what he had to say in that instance. >> good evening. i am very happy to be up here. phosphoi always believed that id make it up. i always believed that chile was beautiful. i believe in god, which helped a lot. nobody likes to go through this experience.

it is not true that this is something that god wants to put you through. it has been a very difficult situation. i am very proud of the government that we have and the people that work for this government. i am also proud of all of the workers. it is incredible to think that we were 700 meters underground and they were able to rescue us. we put all of our heart on the territory. we are minors, we are strong people. everything else is due to the professionals. the professionals included, as

well as the media. please, i would like to ask you not to treat us as chavez-like figures. i would like you to treat me like a minor. i would like to keep working. this is my fate. life has given me beautiful things. it has treated me hard as well, but you have to appreciate the right things in life. i am one of the lucky ones. if you can contact your family, please. think twice.

love it is the most wonderful thing that there is. the love of your parents and your family. i am very happy for all the to have done for us. really very happy. i have buried 40 years of my life and now want to live much longer with my family, my son, my daughter, my wife. >> he was speaking just an hour and a half after he had been brought to the surface.

very poignant, very moving words about what this entire period of time underground meant for him and his relationship with his family. the rescue operation is going so well, it has already had an impact on the approval ratings for the president's. they had been at 66%, now we are hearing that they are at 70%. not quite as high as the mining minister, the ubiquitous presence here throughout this disaster. he is riding high at 86%. but the july and authorities are adamant that they were not going to let the rescue operation go wrong in any way at all. there may have been a feeling that earlier this year with the earthquake and tsunami, things could have been handled better, but this is an absolute

priority to save these men, at the same time attempting to clean up the mining industry in this country. copper is one of the third largest trades for chile. mario gomez is now up and we are waiting to see the capsule go down to cut the 10th minor. alex vega, 31, a mechanic the drove into the pit that day. a man who was preoccupied by monetary debts. so many of these men knew that this mine was potentially dangerous, but because of the need for money, they came to work here, often working overtime when they got double pay. many of the experienced miners knew that his mind was on its last legs. they say that it was a tough -- an old mine, opened in 1889.

that it was creaking, that you could hear the stones falling from the roof to the ground in a corkscrew underneath the mountain. any action, civil or criminal, is for future weeks. the moment now is for celebration of the miners back on the surface. the chilean health minister that has been here on so many occasions as well, speaking to us over and over again, has explained his reaction. >> we had had problems, increases in blood pressure of all of them. in all cases they were covered satisfactorily -- recovered

satisfactorily following medication. we have followed hydration protocols for the first rescued miners. and transferred that in the morning to the hospital, where they remained. in good health conditions, they have already been assessed. their recovery is going well. the other miners the came out

[lists names] they are in different stages at this moment, in the meeting room with their families. we think that at least one of them will be transferred in a few minutes by air. they would like to confirm that things have gone now we are getting to those miners who are in more

precarious health conditions. preparing them psychologically, we think that there should not be any problems with them either in terms of getting them safely to the surface. >> the press conference was given just a short while ago. yesterday he was talking about how this was a great -- miraculously that they had not had any serious health issues for these 69 days underground. imagine, for example, if one of these men had had a heart attack. imagine if one of them was seriously ill and needed immediate surgery. what would have happened then?

there is one man still there known as the doctor, his job was injecting his diabetic mother when he was a child. he had no real proper medical training. how one earth would they have persuaded open surgery, even with an aesthetic and everything else. they are counting their lucky stars that there have been no serious health emergencies and that this rescue operation is continuing now. the president was their degree the first five or six. this is what he had to say after the first man came out. >> i want to give thanks to god in the first instance. without his help, this would not have been possible.

also to the rescue team in the minister -- and of the minister. half the mining minister of -- the mining minister and the team. without them this miracle would not have been possible. i hope that this example will remain with us forever. because the miners have shown, like the victims of the earthquake, and everyone who has contributed to rebuild chile, adversity brings strength to people.

our sole shows the best of the chalet in nation -- chilean nation. >> sebastian pinera, speaking at that press conference immediately after the first minor came up, talking about the national pride, that the people of chile should remember this day for what had been achieved, to make sure that they felt proud of what their rescuers could handle and what they could do as a country. it is fair to say that with all of the flags scattered around here and throughout chile, this is something that has really united the country. the president's approval ratings, we hear, have jumped

from 56%, the way that he handled this crisis. still far behind the mining minister. he really is the most popular man in chile at the moment. he has been talking about the rescue operation, this is what he had to say. >> my gratitude to those who have worked hard through these 69 days. those that provided us with food, hygiene. the army, the royal force. everyone who was here. and those who cannot be mentioned, they deserve the gratitude of the country.

>> the most popular politician in the country at the moment, certainly one of the most popular in the terms of the families here at the mine. he has been on top of this rescue operation since its inception, flying backwards and forwards from santiago to see what progress is being made. he was here for the rescue capsule, for the breakthrough at the 300 meter mark. he was here at dawn for last saturday morning. truly wonderful. iconic image is here. a mining rescue operation. something that often goes wrong in other parts of the world, something that chile has managed to get right. let's just leave you with this

set of pictures that we can bring you in a few moments' time. the important thing to remember is that we are nine miners in and there are 33 in total. >> hello and welcome. >> see the news unfold, get the top stories from around the globe and click to play video reports. go to bbc.com/news to experience the in-depth, expert reporting of "bbc world news" online. >> funding was made possible by the freeman foundation of new york, stowe, vermont, and honolulu. newman's own foundation. the john d. and catherine t. macarthur foundation. and union bank.

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