Tears and prayers as men reunited with families after 69-day ordeal

At 63, Mr Gomez was the oldest of the men who became stranded when their mine, half a mile below Chile's Atacama desert, collapsed on August 5.

He was the ninth to be rescued by clambering into an 11-foot tall capsule which was then hoisted up an escape shaft by a winch and pulley system.

On reaching the surface, he dropped to his knees and bowed his head in prayer, clutching the Chilean flag. The group's most experienced miner, who first entered a shaft to work at the age of 12, was then pulled up by his wife, Lilianete Ramirez who threw her arms around him.

Mr Gomez has silicosis, a lung disease common to miners, and has been on antibiotics and bronchial medicine.

The first man to be rescued, Florencio Avalos, was brought to the surface shortly after 4am UK time yesterday. He stepped out of the capsule to loud cheers as bystanders broke into a chant based on their country's name "Chi! Chi! Chi! Le! Le! Le!"

By 10.30pm UK time 24 of the 33 miners had been brought to the surface. The last man scheduled to be rescued was foreman Luis Urzua, whose leadership was credited with helping the men endure the first two-and-a-half weeks of their incarceration before they were found.