Mining miracle

The word "miracle" is an overused one, but it is surely the only way to describe the rescue of the men who have been trapped underground in a Chilean copper mine for two months.
By The Newsroom
Published 14th Oct 2010, 14:17 BST
Updated 14th Oct 2010, 14:17 BST

The very fact that the miners survived the initial pit collapse unscathed is remarkable enough, as is the fact that they had to endure 17 days before making any contact with the outside world. But to live through such terrible conditions for so long and to emerge largely unscathed is a huge tribute to these men's indomitable spirit.

Indeed, perhaps the most noteworthy fact of this astonishing saga is the way in which all those involved, both above and below ground, have behaved so impressively since the men's plight began.

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In spite of initial gloomy forecasts that the miners faced four months' incarceration in conditions that most people could not imagine enduring for even one day, the rescue operation has proceeded with such speed and professionalism that this terrible sentence was all but halved.

The men themselves, meanwhile, faced up to their ordeal with a humour and optimism which has aided their survival but which it is impossible

to imagine came easily to them.

The euphoria and pride which all Chileans must be feeling today should not obscure the fact that hard questions need to be asked about the way in which safety regulations were implemented at the San Jose mine. But before the inevitable inquiries begin, it is time to celebrate a miracle.