All 33 miners rescued in Chile

San José Mine, Chile – It was 8 o’clock local time when Mario Gomez, at 62 the eldest of the 33 trapped miners, finally emerged from the eternal darkness of the mine into the bright desert sun of Camp Hope.

A little more than 22 hours after rescue operations first began at the San José mine in Chile, Luis Alberto Urzua, the shift foreman and the last miner to remain underground was freed, capping the longest rescue effort in history.

Before the Chilean president and his ministers, as well as the families who had stayed up all night to witness each miner rise in a small capsule dubbed the Phoenix, Gomez dropped to his knees in prayer and raised his arms up to the heavens before hugging his wife again.

It was just one of the emotionally charged reunions in store for a nation captivated by the remarkable rescue of Los 33 since it began just after midnight last night.

By 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, 19 of the 33 miners had reappeared, after 69 days in a miner’s refuge with little light and intense heat and humidity.

No. 12 Edison Pena, 34, a triathlete, who had worked just five months in the mine before a rockfall Aug.5 blocked the exit, thanked God and the president for bringing him out alive.

No. 15 Victor Segovia, dubbed the writer for keeping meticulous notes down below and sending long letters to his wife above ground, said he was happy "this two-month nightmare is over." Even before the accident, he had often spoken to his family about the lack of safety precautions in the San José mine. The worst part of the experience was "the feeling of impotence, of not being able to do anything," he told his wife.

His brother, meanwhile said he was waiting to see him in person to give him a collection of Elvis CDs, his favourite singer.

Given the rapid progress of the operation initially expected to last 48 hours, Chilean Mining Minister Laurence Golbourne said the rescue operation may conclude Wednesday night, ahead of schedule, with the exit of the last miner, Luis Urzua, the shift supervisor who many believe is responsible for organizing the men and carefully rationing their food for 17 days before being discovered by rescue workers above.

President Sebastian Piñera, who has pledged to stay with the miners until all 33 have been pulled out, was joined by Bolivian President Evo Morales, who came to greet the lone Bolivian among the 33, Carlos Mamani Solis, 24.

Morales thanked Piñera for his efforts in saving the 33.

"Bolivia will never forget it and these acts bring us closer together. … It’s unthinkable that we could get them out alive, like taking people out of a cemetery, but alive."

He has also guaranteed to find Mamani work in Bolivia if he chooses to return with his wife and daughter.

Other heads of state who called Piñera to wish the miners well included German chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

Thousands of people gathered in the town square in Copiapo Wednesday to watch on giant screens and celebrate as each miner from Chile’s San Jose mine is lifted to safety and whisked to hospital.

Vibrant and colourful celebrations have taken over the streets of the town as participants await the arrival of the Chilean president and his wife, expected after the last miner emerges from the mine about 60 kilometres away.

Meanwhile at the mine itself the miraculous rescue of 33 miners trapped for more than two months 700 metres below the Earth’s surface continued at such a brisk pace officials expressed hope operations would be wrapped up at the end of the day.

By Wednesday evening all 33 miners had been winched from the depths and were reunited with family members on the surface.

Chilean President Sebastian Pinera told the BBC Wednesday he hoped that from now on when people hear the word Chile "they will not remember the coup d’etat or the dictatorship, they will remember what we’ve done (here) all the Chileans together."

Men who have known nothing but murky darkness for more than two months finally saw the light in the eyes of their families, a light washed by tears of joy.

After spending 69 days trapped in that Chilean copper mine, the men began to emerge Wednesday shortly after midnight.

Operation San Lorenzo, named after the patron saint of miners, is expected to wrap up with all 33 miners freed sometime Wednesday night or early Thursday morning. Mining Minister Laurence Golborne said Wednesday afternoon officials hoped the operation would conclude "perhaps by the end of the evening." While he said there were no assurances this would be possible, he said he was "confident."

Wearing sunglasses to protect their eyes from the bright TV lights, camera flashes and the glare of the sun, the miners wept, waved and were welcomed into the arms of loved ones as they emerged, one by one, in a small capsule designed especially for this massive rescue effort.

Just after midnight on Wednesday, Florencio Avalos Silva became the first of the 33 miners to breach the surface, hug his young family, the rescuers and finally the president of Chile. Tears flowed as the entire scene was broadcast to more than one billion people worldwide.

"I am very moved," said his father, Alfonso. "It’s been so long since I’ve seen him. Knowing the conditions he was living in . . . I’m very happy and very proud of him."

Florencio’s brother, Renan, was the 25th miner freed.

Florencio’s face was the first the world saw after the miners were discovered alive on Aug. 22. He later got behind the camera, documenting life underground with his fellow miners.

Mario Sepulveda, the second miner to escape, had everyone laughing when his whoops of joy resounded on the surface even before he arrived. He then stepped out of the capsule, opened up a yellow bag, pulled out souvenir rocks from below and began handing them out to the rescuers and even to Chilean President Sebastian Pinera.

"I’m so happy!" Sepulveda yelled, grinning, punching his fist in the air and hugging everyone in sight.

However, he also sounded a darkly serious note.

"I have been with God and I’ve been with the devil," he later said in an interview, calling for deep change to protect workers’ rights.

Sepulveda praised members of his profession.

"We are miners, we are strong people," he said, adding he would rather media stopped treating the group as "showbiz figures."

"I would like you to treat me as what I am: a miner," he said. "I will continue working because this is my fate."

"Life has given me beautiful things despite treating me hard, as well. But you have to take the right paths in life. I am one of the lucky ones."

Political leaders were on hand for the rescue.

"We can be prouder than ever of our country," Pinera, the Chilean president, said moments after the first rescue. "We have shown the best of ourselves to the entire world."

Pinera, like everyone at the scene, was moved to tears and vowed that the San Jose mine, which has a long history of accidents, will not reopen until the safety of all miners is guaranteed.

Bolivian President Evo Morales thanked the Chilean rescue crews on behalf of his countrymen.

"I want to thank you, the Chilean people, for rescuing our brother (Bolivian) Carlos Mamani and our Chilean brothers," he said. "Bolivia will never forget this historic event."

Other heads of state called Pinera to wish the miners well, including German chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Brazilian President Lula da Silva and Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.

As the sun rose over camp Wednesday, the rescued miners were whisked by helicopter to hospital in Copiapo. A massive party was planned at the hospital and the president was expected to be there to join the celebrations.

The rescue is going better than planned, Health Minister Jaime Manalich said in televised comments. The capsule hasn’t suffered any damage and will undergo maintenance after every eighth trip, he said. The miners who ascended to the surface so far are in "good" health, Manalich said.

Esteban Rojas emerged from the mine shortly before 3 p.m. local time Wednesday and said a brief prayer before hugging the mining minister and rescue crews.

Earlier, the youngest man trapped in the mine, Jimmy Sanchez, 19, emerged from his dark cocoon into the morning light.

And later, the man who wrote the simple, but powerful message informing the world that "Los 33" were still alive after more than two weeks trapped in the copper mine with little food and water was pulled to safety on Wednesday morning.

Jose Ojeda, 47, emerged from the rescue capsule just after 6 a.m. local time, waving the Chilean flag before hugging and kissing his daughter on the cheeks several times as tears streamed down their tired but happy faces.

It was Ojeda who wrote the first note to rescue workers and pinned it to the bottom of an exploratory drill after 17 days with no contact with the outside world.

"We are fine in the refuge: los 33," he wrote.

It was a message heard around the world, and led to this incredible rescue drama.