Great Stuff Chile...

Thank God for a successful rescue. Great team effort from everyone involved. May people learn from this for future reference. As for people's safety...may the government and private sector make sure it will not happend again.

From CNN.

After miners' successful rescue, focus shifts to safety, newfound fameBy the CNN Wire StaffOctober 14, 2010 -- Updated 0816 GMT (1616 HKT)

(CNN) -- After 69 days and a cost as high as $20 million, 33 miners are finally freed from a mine in northern Chile. To loud applause, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera placed a metal cap on top of the rescue hole early Thursday and marked the end of a rescue operation that captivated the globe.

But in a way, the story is just beginning -- both for the miners, who now must live with their new status as folk heroes and the spotlight that comes with it, and the government, whose attention turns to protecting workers' safety.

"I hope this will never happen again," said shift foreman Luis Urzua, the last man out of the gold and copper mine, as Pinera embraced him.

Rescue worker Manuel Gonzalez, the first human being to descend more than 2,000 feet in a custom-made capsule to reach the miners, was the last of six rescuers to ascend. He waved and bowed before an underground camera before climbing into the capsule for the last time.

Colleagues and onlookers cheered as Gonzalez surfaced, with one person quipping, "Did you leave everything in order down there? Are the beds made? You didn't turn off the light."

But the situation wasn't entirely light-hearted. He too urged the president to push for worker safety.

"I hope we have learned from it and that Chilean mining will be different," he told Pinera. "I hope that things will be done correctly .. especially dealing with small mining concerns - that things be done right.," Gonzalez told the president. "This is what I want."

As worldwide exultation over the rescue begins to settle, more daunting tasks loom -- understanding why the mine collapsed on August 5, and making sure such an incident doesn't happen again.

Pinera said the mine "never should have functioned as it was functioning; it had a long history of violations."

"I want to announce to the Chilean workers and the employers that we are going to make a new pact in which the life, dignity and protection of workers will be the focus of government concern," he said.

Representatives of the mine owner, the San Esteban Mining Co., have previously said they will cooperate fully with Chilean authorities and the Chilean Congress in their inquiries about what went wrong at the mine.

Pinera put the price of the rescue mission at $10 million to $20 million.

"Every peso was well spent," he said.

Most of the miners "really are in good condition," said Chilean Health Minister Jaime Manalich. Some, he said, may be able to leave the hospital Thursday afternoon.
When they do, their lives will not be the same.

Mario Sepulveda, the second miner extracted, said he hoped to maintain a low-key profile.

"The only thing I ask, personally, is that you please not treat us like celebrities or journalists," he said. "I want to continue being treated like Mario Antonio Sepulveda Espinace, the worker, the miner. I love that, and I think that in some shape, way or form I want to continue working."

However, that's unlikely. The men, ranging in age from 19 to 63, will feel the crush of media requests and offers from book publishers, movie and television producers.

They may also have to speak to lawyers about a lawsuit filed against their employer.

They will be inundated with the warm wishes of spectators and peppered with questions from strangers. The Chilean Mining Ministry has set up a website to collect greetings, and there are already many from Italy, China, the United States and a dozen other nations.
Carlos Mamani, the only non-Chilean trapped, has personally been promised help from his country's head of state: Bolivian President Evo Morales. He had only been working in the mine for five days before the collapse, and his father-in-law has told reporters that Mamani has decided to never work in a mine again.

A special invitation to visit Elvis Presley's Tennessee home awaited Edison Pena, a die-hard Elvis fan who led his fellow trapped miners in sing-alongs to pass time while waiting for their rescue.

How the miners handle the attention could progress or hinder their recovery, experts said.

"It's a great problem for regular people, who are subjected to intense publicity and focus," said Leo Braudy, author of the book, "The Frenzy of Renown: Fame and Its History."

"They're lionized; and for some of them, it destroyed them," he said, referring to an incident in which a paramedic who rescued baby Jessica McClure from a Texas well took his life years later.

For now, experts say, the men should relish the joyful homecoming after their harrowing ordeal.

The rescue began Tuesday night. One by one, the miners ascended to freedom in a red, white and blue metal capsule.

The first to arrive was a beaming Florencio Avalos, who stepped out of the "Fenix-2" capsule, named for the mythical bird that rose from ashes and then the others followed.

Each time the capsule approached the earth's surface, its cargo was heralded by the wail of a siren and applause from relatives and rescuers assembled nearby. Family members, who bit their lips as each man began his ascent, broke into smiles as they emerged.

The rejoicing was loud throughout Chile and the world.

In the capital, Santiago, hundreds wept and embraced as they watched the rescue on a flickering big screen TV set up in a square. Chants of "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!" rang from the windows of the hospital where the men were eventually taken.

Around the world, strangers sat glued to television sets.

As they arrived, some of the miners signaled a thumbs-up. Others waved Chilean flags. One led the crowd in a chant for Chile. Some dropped to their knees and prayed. Mostly, though, they embraced their families.

During the course of the day Wednesday, the pace of the rescues increased from one per hour to three, progress that was measured by the spinning of the metal wheel that let out and then shortened the cable attached to the capsule -- a makeshift elevator with only two stops.

The last to surface was Urzua, the 54-year-old shift boss, who insisted on going after all the others -- 22-and-a-half hours after the rescue began.

Urzua first established contact with the outside world on August 22, 17 days after the mine collapsed.

Urzua also divided the cans of tuna that helped keep the men alive until they were discovered, and it was he who organized the 32 others into three work shifts and pored over diagrams that helped rescuers plan the men's escape.

"He was a shift boss who made us proud," Pinera told Chileans in a televised address. "I want to thank the families of the miners who maintained faith -- this faith that ended up moving mountains."

some one posted this in FB....thought of sharing it.

Thursday, 14 October 2010
What if the Chile incident happened here in Malaysia...in passing tot...

Once in a while, as though to give us a break from bombardments of sad news vis a vis humanity, we will be reminded of it. As you are reading this now, 33 trapped miners in chile are being rescued.

Indeed, watching the rescued workers being portalled through a man made hole in a special vessel designed for the rescue, I cannot help but wonder, what would have been the fate of our miners should they be trapped after such devastating catastrophe hit them.

We all know, that it is the norm here in Malaysia, that unless you are a "somebody" or related to that somebody, then most likely only simple rescue would be possible. At this point in time, I fail to see Malaysians being able to conduct such rescue efforts. I suspect, we, the Malaysian have lost the sense of value of life. Of course, this is a different scenario, when it comes to rescuing "somebody"s.... Although I do value even the lives of some worthless politicians, but it gives me the goosebumps how much it would cost to save VIPs like saaaaaay, Rosie ( yes, yes, Rosie from Phua Chu Kang, if you insist )..for instance...imagine how much tax payers money wasted to come up with the rescue vessel you see in that video, not to mention the extra diameter of the hole they need to create....the only suspense moment felt for most Malaysians should we rescue such characters would be, "Oh dear, do you think her buttocks will get through that small bore hole?". And of course being Malaysians, bookies would have a field day taking bets.

I also cannot help but imagine some of the possible statements some may avow, should this kind of mishap happen in Malaysia (God forbid..really,.... God forbid):

BN : Don't worry, those minors, oh sorry, we mean miners will be rescued as soon as we can. We always take care of the minors....we mean, the miners....
Under their breaths : Aisey maaan, tak cukup bajet la...GE dah dekat...macamana ni?

Nik Aziz : Saving the infidels by taking them out of the hole is like making the hole and puting the Muslims in it. Umpama melepas anjing tersepit. Lepas tu kena samak 7 baldi air, satu baldi lumpur. Eh, tak kiraaaaa....walaupun pegang anjing sekarang lagi bersih dari pegang lumpur....hukum tetap hukum tu...

Samy Vellu : I think we should build a toll somewhere in between the tunnel to sponsor the cost of rescuing.


Karpal Singh and probably Kit siang : We must investigate as to why there was such dreadful incident happening at the mines. The earthquake was just a minute richter on scale, the vibration is just enough to cause orgasm for the frustated widows and divorces. Who is the people behind the company that owns the mine. And we will not hesitate to take action.

Hishamudin : We should use our Keris to dig the hole...after all, it did a good job digging holes in between the ears of some Malays.

Karam Singh Walia : Harapkan pagar, pagar lagi tak boleh harap.

Anwar Ibrahim : Tight hole? Where??!!!

Ibrahim Ali : A united rescue team in Malaysia? We'll unite the Malays first, so that Malaysians will be united as a result of this, and then, we rescue them. Otherwise don't tokshit tree taims.

Rosmah : We have brought the matter up in our first First Lady Summit, and they have voted to use my video that I dueted with Mawi, as a tool to create a hole in the earth for the rescue efforts.

Well guys and gals, got to rush to work...if anyone can come up with more possible statements, please feel free to jot it down.. ;->