Chile mine rescue underway; more than half hoisted to safety

SAN JOSE MINE, CHILE - One by one, the miners who have been trapped under 2,000 feet of rock in northern Chile for more than two months were being pulled to the surface Wednesday in a special capsule, then embraced by emotional family members as the end of their saga was beamed live around the world.
By midday, more than half the 33 who were entombed deep in the gold and copper mine had been rescued, triggering an outburst of national pride. They emerged, seemingly in good health, wearing dark sunglasses after 69 days in their dark, humid cavern.

"We always knew that we would be rescued," Mario Sepulveda, the second miner pulled from the depths, said shortly after he emerged. "We never lost faith." After he stepped out of the capsule, the ebullient Sepulveda led those gathered at the surface in a rousing cheer, earning him the nickname "Super Mario" in Chilean newspapers.

By 2:50 p.m. local time (1:50 p.m. Eastern), 18 of the miners had made the bumpy journey in the specially designed capsule from a cavity deep at this mine in the Atacama desert.

The 17th, Omar Alejandro Reygadas Rojas, 56, is a great-grandfather who has worked in mines for two decades.

The rescued miners were greeted by patriotic cheers of "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!" and an embrace from Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who has been a near-constant presence at the mine during the ordeal.
"Bienvenido a la vida," Pinera told Victor Segovia, the 15th miner to emerge. In English, the phrase means, "Welcome to life."
The men were sealed into a hot, dark purgatory after surviving an Aug. 5 mine collapse. At the current pace of about 40 minutes per rescue, the operation will likely continue well into Wednesday night.
(SEE INTERACTIVE TIMELINE OF THE MEN AND THEIR RESCUES.)MORE NEWS
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