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CNN Live At Daybreak
Russian Mine Accident
Aired October 29, 2003 - 05:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK, now to that Russian mine accident, where the miracle happened. It took nearly a week, but rescue teams finally reached a group of miners trapped underground.
Ryan Chilcote joins us live via video phone from southern Russia.
This is truly amazing because six days ago none of us thought anybody would be brought up alive.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol.
This is day six of this rescue operation. Those miners had been underneath about seven football fields beneath the surface of the earth, if you will, for more than five and a half days. Ten of them brought to the surface already this morning, brought to the surface alive. We are expecting one more of them to be brought up to the surface and be wheeled out here. He will be brought out on a stretcher. He is said to be in the worst condition of anyone in the group.
Brought to the surface, 11 collectively out of a group of 13. One man did pass away over the course of those five and a half days. Another man is still missing somewhere in the mine -- Carol.
COSTELLO: How did they manage to stay alive down there? Does anybody know yet -- Ryan.
CHILCOTE: Well, so far it's a little bit unclear. It's pretty amazing. All we can do is conjecture that the place that they were able to get to inside the mine was, first of all, above the rising water. That mine was being flooded. And, secondly, that there was enough air inside that pocket where they were that they were able to breathe freely enough to survive so long.
You know, another thing that the miners, as you may know, another group of 33 miners was rescued from the same mine on Saturday. And one of the things that they talked about when I spoke with them at the hospital is the fact that they were in a group allowed them to keep one another's spirits up. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that that is the case here, as well, that the 11 men were able to keep one another's spirits up to survive five and a half days in the pitch dark seven football fields beneath the earth with no food, no water and absolutely no communication with the outside world -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, we're glad it's, well, in part, a happy ending, because two miners did die down there.
Ryan Chilcote live from southern Russia this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
Aired October 29, 2003 - 05:09 ET
THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL COSTELLO, CNN ANCHOR: OK, now to that Russian mine accident, where the miracle happened. It took nearly a week, but rescue teams finally reached a group of miners trapped underground.
Ryan Chilcote joins us live via video phone from southern Russia.
This is truly amazing because six days ago none of us thought anybody would be brought up alive.
RYAN CHILCOTE, CNN CORRESPONDENT: That's right, Carol.
This is day six of this rescue operation. Those miners had been underneath about seven football fields beneath the surface of the earth, if you will, for more than five and a half days. Ten of them brought to the surface already this morning, brought to the surface alive. We are expecting one more of them to be brought up to the surface and be wheeled out here. He will be brought out on a stretcher. He is said to be in the worst condition of anyone in the group.
Brought to the surface, 11 collectively out of a group of 13. One man did pass away over the course of those five and a half days. Another man is still missing somewhere in the mine -- Carol.
COSTELLO: How did they manage to stay alive down there? Does anybody know yet -- Ryan.
CHILCOTE: Well, so far it's a little bit unclear. It's pretty amazing. All we can do is conjecture that the place that they were able to get to inside the mine was, first of all, above the rising water. That mine was being flooded. And, secondly, that there was enough air inside that pocket where they were that they were able to breathe freely enough to survive so long.
You know, another thing that the miners, as you may know, another group of 33 miners was rescued from the same mine on Saturday. And one of the things that they talked about when I spoke with them at the hospital is the fact that they were in a group allowed them to keep one another's spirits up. It is perfectly reasonable to assume that that is the case here, as well, that the 11 men were able to keep one another's spirits up to survive five and a half days in the pitch dark seven football fields beneath the earth with no food, no water and absolutely no communication with the outside world -- Carol.
COSTELLO: Well, we're glad it's, well, in part, a happy ending, because two miners did die down there.
Ryan Chilcote live from southern Russia this morning.
TO ORDER A VIDEO OF THIS TRANSCRIPT, PLEASE CALL 800-CNN-NEWS OR USE OUR SECURE ONLINE ORDER FORM LOCATED AT www.fdch.com
