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American Morning

Rescue Underway for Remaining Trapped Chilean Miners

Aired October 13, 2010 - 05:00   ET

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.


(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning to you. We're coming to you a little bit early today, in fact, an hour early for a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING on this Wednesday, October 13th. I'm Kiran Chetry.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning, to you. I'm John Roberts.

CHETRY: We're following breaking news this hour, the rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile happening right now.

ROBERTS: Yes, we just saw the sixth miner brought up. This has been going on since about 11:00 Eastern time last night.

The sixth miner is Osman Araya. Like everyone else, he's been down in that mine for 69 days, just to watch the scenes of jubilation as the miners come up, the first one, Florencio Avalos. He came up. He was embraced by the president of Chile, and just to see the smiles and the celebration in the faces of so many people, it's really just incredible.

CHETRY: I mean when we first heard about this 69 days ago, there was little hope really that we'd be at this point where are now. They'd talked perhaps three to four months.

A lot of what they understand took was never done before, and so there were a lot of questions as to whether or not this operation would be successful.

And this morning it certainly is proving to be the case. As John said, the first man, 31-year-old Florence Avalos made the 2-000-foot 15-minute journey through the tube called the Phoenix capsule to freedom. Let's take a look.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS (voice-over): He got a big bear hug by the president of Chile. Avalos was the man behind the camera underground. He was wearing sunglasses to protect his eyes from the glare of the bright lights.

After spending the 69 days underground, they did have light down there, but it was so dim. The second miner, Mario Sepulveda was pulled to the surface about an hour later. It's taking about 50 minutes to an hour to bring each one of these men up. He burst out of the capsule, brought some souvenirs with him. He had a yellow bag full of rocks that he handed out and got lots of laugh from the crew. Let's take a look at that moment.

CHETRY (voice-over): There you see those moments of jubilation after he came out. He was the spokesman and video narrator for a lot of the camera and video shooting that happened down there.

He -- he was shooting and sort of narrating these videos brought up to the surface so that loved ones who had been waiting for word about their loved ones were actually able to see them and know that they were doing OK down there.

Meanwhile, this is a live look as the seventh miner is now getting into this Phoenix capsule and preparing for that journey, that 15- minute journey back up to the surface.

ROBERTS: Just to let you know a little bit about who number seven is. This is Jose Ojeda. He was in mining for almost three decades, is an active miner, but has taken an administrative role since then. He is a secretary for the miners.

We've seen six people come up so far, and they were deemed to be the strongest. They were going to be the strongest to assist in the rescues, and then the ones with medical problems and then the very strongest, the ones most mentally able to stay in the ground the longest would be the last to come up.

So Jose Ojeda has had diabetes. He's had to have medication passed down to him for the almost two and a half months via the little hole they drilled originally.

This shows the hardship that these miners are working under as they are trapped underground and life goes on above them. He is the guardian for his deceased sister's 26-year-old daughter. So she's been without him for the last while.

There's one fellow had a baby born while he was underground. So you could imagine how anxious family members are to have these people back on the surface.

Our Gary Tuchman is watching the drama unfold. He's live for us at - just outside the mine. Gary, what's happening from your perspective this morning?

(END VIDEO CLIP)

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, John and Kiran, you might call it a real life drama, but it's actually 33 life dramas. We've seen six of the real life drama play out. I've been here the whole time.

It's been going on now for about six hours. It was about 12:10 a.m. local time here in Chile when that first man was pulled out, and it was an awe-inspiring scene. The Chilean authorities allowed on a perch about three football fields away from the last few site. So even though we don't see the picture as close up as you do on TV and as the viewers do, just being part of the atmosphere and soaking it in was absolutely awe-inspiring.

We were talking about Mario Sepulveda, the spokesman for the families, the spokesman for the miners when he was down there. He was the second miner brought up.

By the way, he brought rocks as a souvenir. It would have been better souvenir if he brought the copper and gold that's inside this mine, but that's a whole another story.

But anyway, after he was rescued, after he was reunited emotionally with his family, he went to the reunion center. They actually have a building where they get to spend time, the family and miners for up to two hours together. He's so far the only one who has spoken. When he did speak it was very emotional. Listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIO SEPULVEDA, RESCUED CHILEAN MINER (through translator): I was with the devil, but God won. I held on to God's hand, the best hand, and at no point in time -- how do I explain this.

At no -- at no point in time did I doubt God would get me out of there. Once we found out that there were such extraordinary people as there were up there working to get us out, another thing that's very important.

We always knew that there was a great person mixed into all of this, aside from the great government we have. Really, really trusted --

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: If Mario Sepulveda decided he wanted to run for president of Chile, I think there's a good chance he could win. As a matter of fact, I think there's a good chance a lot of these people could seek political office because they are heroes of this country. Six have been rescued, 27 still to go. John and Kiran.

CHETRY: Gary, let me ask you a quick question. Has everything gone according to plan so far or have there been any hiccups in this rescue operation?

TUCHMAN: Everything is going to perfection so far. One thing that people fear or a little worried about was after a couple of the rescues, they took some time to take the tires off the capsule and to take the oxygen tanks off and take a look at them.

People were wondering if something was wrong with them and also the door, but all these things -- there's no rush. These gentlemen had been underground for a long time, almost 10 weeks.

They wanted to make sure everything is perfect. They're going to do these tune-ups of the capsule. They're going to check out and make sure everything is OK. This will take a while. This will probably go to at least Thursday morning. So I suspect tomorrow, John and Kiran, you'll be talking about this, too, as more men are coming out.

CHETRY: Gary Tuchman for us this morning right there at the mine as we're watching this amazing history unfold. Thanks so much, Gary.

Well, no one has ever been trapped in a mine for as long as these men and survived. This morning the rescuers so-called plan B drill is getting an A-plus as these miners are brought to the surface.

ROBERTS: Joe Sbaffoni and Dr. Richard Kunkle lived through a similar experience overseeing a rescue operation at Pennsylvania's mine back in 2002 where nine men trapped underground were brought up successfully through a similar capsule such as the Phoenix capsule.

Joe Sbaffoni is the director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Mine Safety. Richard is the founder of the state's special medical response team and they join us this morning from Pittsburgh.

Gentlemen, great to see you. Thanks very much for getting up so early for us. Joe, let's go to you first. When you see those scenes coming out of Copiaco, Chile this morning, are you taken back eight years to Quecreek Mine?

JOE SBAFFONI, DIRECTOR, PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU OF MINE SAFETY: There's definitely a resemblance to what we're watching on TV today. The lecture we have today is that we're getting to watch it. Back eight years ago, we were in the process of participating in the rescue, so we didn't get to watch it on television.

CHETRY: This is really surreal to be able to see these. We've just got word that the seventh miner is now in that capsule and on his way up. We're still looking at live pictures.

Dr. Kunkle, I want to ask you. We've never seen miners trapped this long. We're going to be seeing, of course, as we have the scenes of jubilation as they're reunited with their families.

After that though, they're actually going for medical observation. What are the biggest health and physical concerns for these men?

DR. RICHARD KUNKLE, FOUNDER PENNSYLVANIA MEDICAL RESPONSE TEAM: think initially they're going to make sure they're stable as far as their vital signs go and that their bodily functions are normal.

That will be checked out both at triage site at the mine and also at the hospital. Then the big problem that I foresee is the long-term mental health of these individuals.

We saw some unfortunate outcomes at Quecreek not with the miners necessarily themselves, but certainly with some of the rescue people.

We unfortunately had a suicide probably related to the experience of the rescue so there are some long-term mental problems that I think really will be a concern. ROBERTS: Yes, you know, the Quecreek miners are only down there for a few days, but the conditions that they were existing in were terrible because they were hip-deep in water and that water was awfully cold as well.

Joe, what are the -- because you were there and as you said you didn't get a chance really to reflect on that too much because you were so busy executing the rescue operation.

But what are the people who are executing this operation, the ones that are bringing up that capsule, walk us through sort of what their process is like?

SBAFFONI: Well, I'm sure that they've had plenty of time since the miners were located to put a plan in place, and right now they're all trying to follow that plan to make sure the equipment functions as it's designed to do and just follow their plan.

And as you can see, they're not in any hurry. They're going to follow their plan and make sure that the capsule's maintained, make sure the equipment's working properly, and continue through.

CHETRY: And, Dr. Kunkle, the other concern, of course, was what that 15-minute ride is like and will be like for the additional 27 that are still there, fears about panic attacks as we understand they put a camera in the cage to be able to monitor the miner's faces.

So that they can see, if indeed panic is setting in, but the first six we've seen have made it up in pretty good shape. Is that an indication of how it will be for the others or could it be a very different story for the individual men?

KUNKLE: I think it will be very much dependent upon each individual miner's personal make-up. I think the fact that we've had six successes that at least on the face of things look without problem, those individuals who have made the trip up successfully talking with the miners back underground, I'm sure, will be supportive for them.

On the other hand, those who perhaps have claustrophobia or perhaps have a tendency towards panic attacks, we have yet to see what will happen with them.

It is a potential problem because if you panic in that situation, you get an overload of adrenaline and that can cause coronary basis spasm, perhaps in a worst-case scenario, even either collapse or cardiac dysrhythmia or a heart attack.

Certainly hope that doesn't happen, but it can be a complication of a severe panic attack.

ROBERTS: Joe, as we watch the scene in Copiapo. We see that wheel slowly turning as the line runs over bringing the Phoenix capsule back up to the surface with miner number seven in it.

You know, your process took place over a number of hours. You had nine people to bring up. They have 33 to bring up. You were bringing them up for about 200 feet underground.

They're 2,300 feet down in the San Jose mine. What are the potential pitfalls that that can face now between now and the time that they get the 33 miners and the four rescue workers who went down back up?

SBAFFONI: Well, you know, the equipment is a big part. I mean, the equipment has to be maintained and operate the way it's designed to function, but there's also the issue of ground control.

You know, the capsule going up and down could cause problems within the borehole itself. The people on sight there did a good evaluation of the borehole and felt that it was adequate.

They had to case a little bit of the hole at the top towards the surface, but those are the kinds of things they're going to be looking at, you know, the condition of the borehole as the rescue continues and also keeping an eye on the equipment, keeping an eye on that capsule.

Once we've seen them stop already and look at the roller wheels on the capsule, did some maintenance on it, I understand they had a problem with one of the doors. Those are the kind of things they're going to be continuously looking at.

You can see they're not in any hurry. The miners have been down there for 70 days. Another day is not going to make a difference. The key here is to follow the plan and make sure everything proceeds in a safe manner.

ROBERTS: All right, Joe Sbaffoni and Richard Kunkle, stay with us throughout the morning because we'd love to tap in to your expertise as we continue the coverage of what's going on there. We saw some pictures.

I assume that that is Jose Ojeda's - the daughter of his deceased sister, and he's the guardian of her. We don't know this for sure. We can assume, though, that that is because they had family members who were waiting for their loved ones to come up and be greeted by a very close family member.

So we could probably make a logical assumption that's her as he continues to make his way to the surface.

CHETRY: That's right. He would be the seventh miner making his way up in this operation, continuing throughout the night and into the morning. We're going to continue to follow it.

The special coverage here on AMERICAN MORNING will continue as we watch the rescue of these 33 Chilean miners who were trapped underground for 69 days. We're going to take a quick break. We'll be back up in time to show you Jose Ojeda coming up to the surface. It's 16 minutes past the hour.

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ROBERTS: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning as we continue our breaking news coverage. Remarkable pictures coming to us out of the desert in Chile.

As you see that wheel slowly turning on top of that structure, there's a line running over it attached to that Phoenix capsule and it's bringing miners up from more than 2,000 feet underground, the seventh one right now in that capsule.

They've been underground for 69 days. It's a truly remarkable story of endurance, solidarity, faith, mental toughness.

The first miner emerged shortly after 11:00 p.m. Eastern, and this operation will continue for the next day at least, we would assume.

CHETRY: Yes, because I guess the round trip is about 50 minutes on average right now. By the time they bring them up that's about a 15- minute ride and then, of course, unloading them, letting them get accustomed to getting back on the surface, and then checking to make sure everything is OK with the capsule and the winch and then sending it back down again.

Right now we're about 11 minutes into the rescue of the seventh miner so in 4 or 5 minutes we should be seeing Jose Ojeda coming to the surface and we'll of course bring that to you live as it happens.

So again as we've said, six men rescued so far, each man's journey taking about 15 minutes and, again, 27 men still underground waiting to be rescued.

ROBERTS: Yes, each of the miners is going to undergo a physical and psychological health checks at a field hospital that's been setup outside the mind.

And then they'll be transferred to a real hospital after that - check out that is people who are in good shape and then they'll be reunited with family members. You know, you've got to wonder in a situation like this, how do you cope with a traumatic event like this?

CHETRY: Yes, we're asking our next guest, George Bonanno, a professor of Clinical Psychology at Colombia University and also the author of the book "The Other Side of Sadness." He joins us this morning.

Thanks for being with us. So as we've been seeing this pictures, there are certainly pictures of jubilation, happiness, relief as these miners are brought up to the surface.

There, we see him. He came up pretty fast. This is Jose Ojeda. They started pulling him to the surface in that Phoenix capsule at 5:09 Eastern time and it's 5:21 and we're seeing him out.

Let just let this play out for a moment, Dr. Bonanno, and then I'll get your take on it. He was the one who had diabetes, so let's see how he's doing.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS (voice-over): He looks in very good shape, doesn't he? CHETRY (voice-over): He certainly does. There were concerns because as we said he's been getting medication for diabetes as he's been underground for 69 days, but, yes, he looks fantastic.

ROBERTS: What's really remarkable about all these guys is they're coming up, they're freshly scrubbed, they're shaved. They wanted to look their best for their loved ones and they sent them down toiletries supplies. Obviously, he didn't need it, but many of the miners asked for shampoo.

CHETRY: Yes, they wanted shoe polish.

ROBERTS: Got a fresh set of clothes to come up as well. So, you know, really a prideful group of men underground there. Here comes the reunion.

We assume that's the daughter of his deceased sister. He's the guardian. Chilean TV describes her as a stepdaughter though it may have a different conotation.

We know that he's a widower, so we don't know if he's remarried. But we do know that he's the guardian of his dead sister's 26-year-old daughter so that could - could well be her.

CHETRY: And then you're seeing him getting a chance to congratulate and get some hugs from all of the others waiting, some of the dignitaries, the president of Chile there as well as other rescue rescuers.

He looks great. You know, they were some concerns about the order. They were worried about the order. They were worried about some of the people that were perhaps, you know, weakened physical state, perhaps suffering from some ailments from being underground in that kind of humidity for so long.

And they were bringing up some of the stronger men first. There you see him happily lie down on the stretcher, which is just what they have to do at this point to get further medical evaluation.

ROBERTS: Yes, and of course, you know, the lingering, psychological impact as well. We were joined by Dr. George Bonanno from Colombia University this morning.

When you see these men come up, Dr. Bonano and they seemed to be in such great physical shape, difficult to tell what kind of emotional shape they're in, but what would you surmise based on the amount of time that they've been underground and the hardships that they've been enduring?

GEORGE BONANNO, AUTHOR, "THE OTHER SIDE OF SADNESS": Well, right now, this is just the best period obviously they've had in a long time and I think they're all going to be tremendously relieved.

And they can let go for the first time in a long time. I think what they just went through could have been one of the most stressful things they've been through in the entire ordeal, this coming up through the shaft.

CHETRY: Right, that was one of the questions I was wondering about. There was a unity within the group. They say there was a natural order and there was a leader. They were helping each other.

So 33 and they were all together at least. Obviously, nightmare conditions, but at least they had each other. That would be the first time they were separating from the group and not really knowing what that ride was going to be like. What do you imagine was going through their heads during that?

BONANNO: Well, I think hese were men that -- the fact that these are miners and these are men who are trained and also prepared for some of the kind of things like this that they'll endure.

They basically, you know -- I think they had to steel themselves into simply doing this last bit. They had a lot of things going for them. Think that's kind of remarkable about this particular ordeal.

I think in general, humans are remarkably resilient. This is what a lot of the research is about. We can and do endure these kinds of events.

These men had a lot going for them in the mine. I wouldn't have wanted to have been down there. The fact that they knew each other, they had a social structure in place already, that is enormously important. They had tasks to do. There were a lot of pluses.

ROBERTS: So basically you keep them busy. You keep their minds occupied and they have less opportunity to focus on the negatives, is that the principle?

BONANNO: I think so. I think this is less a traumatic event and more involving stress. Traumatic involves fear and immediate danger and there was some of that, of course.

ROBERTS: Was kind of all of that. You can imagine that the initial collapse, my God, we're dead, we're never going to get out of here, we're half a mile underground, how are they going to possibly rescue us?

BONANNO: There may be some variability around that because some of them would be more cool-headed around those issues because they are miners.

But the chronic stress I think is the real dominant factor, just months of dealing with the adversity. And in particular, you mentioned controlling one's mind. You have two months to think about things. One of the miners said it was a battle between God and the devil.

CHETRY: Right and he said that God held his hand so their faith obviously endured and helped get them through. The other interesting thing, how does this dynamic that they were able to have some contact with the outside world play into it. Meaning in the first few days they didn't and once they broke through with a smaller borehole they were able to send food. They were able to communicate, send cameras down there? How does that play out in terms of keeping them strong?

BONANNO: I think that's enormously important. Across all the research, the studies, the connection and support with other people is probably the single most important factor.

Lots of different factors come into play, but the fact that they were connected to and could talk with and hear and words of encouragement and knew that the world was watching, that probably is the single most important strength they could have had.

ROBERTS: A couple of other issues to looking toward the future is reintegration into society, back together with the family unit as well. Sebastian Pinera, the president of Chile said, he expects that some of the miners are going to have some difficulties from that and then the other issue is up in that area of Chile, there's not a lot else to do than mining and -- do these miners make the decision to go back down underground?

BONANNO: I think that -- in general, I would suggest that most of the men are going to be OK psychologically, but one of the concerns, one of the risks is that sense of what happens after this all dies down?

Right now, they're in this enormously sort of carnival atmosphere. That will give way remarkably quickly, and then they're essentially back to normal life and they can reflect on the fact they spent two months in a very, very difficult situation and normal life can be very mundane if you're kind of expecting something else.

CHETRY: Right so two things. One of them was interesting. I believe it was Mario Sepulveda who said let us go back to our lives. I'm a miner. I'm not a movie star.

There are other who probably will be forever changed in that, the attention, the international focus and then there are others probably who simply would have a fear, I imagine of going and doing it again in case, God forbid, this would even happen again. So how do you sort of reconcile that?

BONANNO: I think you described it perfectly. There will be all kinds of different reactions to this and there will be - I would imagine quite a few men who will go back in the mines and they will simply, you know - they will decide that's what I do.

There maybe some who just will decide they've had enough, and there may be some who will seek the fame and good luck to them.

I don't know what that will bring them. And there will be certainly men who will issue the spotlight. And I think all of those idiosyncrasies are very much like that.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: It does shine another spotlight on another issue and that is mine safety and Mario Sepulveda when he gave that little address to his nation and to the world because of the coverage. He said that the conditions in the mine have to change. We can't go on like this. So, now, he's got a very big megaphone now. So, perhaps, they'll make mine safety a bigger issue coming out of this.

Dr. George Bonanno, stay with us this morning. It's great to have you with us to describe what these miners are going through. Thanks.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Right. And we're crossing the half hour right now. It's 5:30 here on the East Coast this morning. And one by one, these 33 trapped Chilean miners are being freed this morning. Just moments ago, miner number seven brought safely to the surface in this capsule called Phoenix and the emotion of this unprecedented rescue bringing tears to millions watching around the world. And again, what we're seeing right now is the beginning of rescue operation number eight as they lower that capsule down once again.

ROBERTS: All right. Let's take a look at some of the scenes that we have seen so far this morning. The miners coming up in that Phoenix capsule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

UNIDENTIFIED PEOPLE: chi-chi-chi le-le-le, c-h-i-l-e!

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: That was the second miner rescued. Mario Sepulveda, something of a rock star embracing co-workers and shouting out a chant of Chile, Chile, Chile, chi-chi-chi, le-le-le. So, it's difficult to describe, the sense of jubilation that these miners must have to finally be out in the way that they rally their co-workers.

CHETRY: Yes. He's quite a character. He's the one who was doing a lot of narrating the videos down there. One time, he jokingly said, back to you in the studios. So, you know, you have to have those moments of levity amid what could have very easily been a tragedy. In fact, it was interesting in some of the background reading.

There were people who told the president of Chile, you know, don't get people's hopes up. Don't get out there and say that, you know, there's a good chance we'll rescue them because we don't know if that's the case. And he said he really believed in his heart that they would find a way to do it.

ROBERTS: And you know, they've been remarkably positive through this whole thing. When we first heard the 33 miners had been trapped a half mile underground, the world thought they're dead.

CHETRY: Yes.

ROBERTS: How can they ever get to them? You know the Quecreek Mine back in 2002, we saw nine men rescued, but they were only 200 feet underground. And then, we heard that maybe it was going to take 4 months. Could they possibly survive, but the operation has been remarkable, nothing short of remarkable in keeping those men not only alive but keeping their spirits as high as they've been for the past 69 days.

CHETRY: Yes. It will be interesting to see if this is a blue print going forward, not necessarily only for mine accidents but for ways to help out in situations where people are trapped and the way that they were able to monitor not only a physical and mental health but also make them part of the rescue and be able to just sort of control, so many aspects of the rescue all the way down to the switch to the liquid diet on the way up in case there was any sickness or -- motion sickness on the way up.

ROBERTS: And they've had help from all over the world. NASA doctors and psychologists have been involved as well. Of course, NASA's got a great program for astronauts dealing with isolation. They're up on the international space station for six months at a time. They've been doing it since the 1960s, the Apollo program and then Skylab in the 1970s. So, they have a good sense of what it takes to keep people well in situations like that.

We're going to be talking with the couple of folks from NASA a little bit later on this morning as well. As we watch the capsule, the line there, threading through that block, as the Phoenix capsule goes back down again, almost a half mile underground to pick up miner number eight, rescue number eight this morning.

CHETRY: Yes, and as we've been saying, there's never really been quite a rescue like this one. The real-life drama continuing to play out this morning on live television with the entire world watching.

ROBERTS: Yes. Joe Sbaffoni and Dr. Richard Kunkle are familiar with the process because they oversaw the rescue operation at Pennsylvania's Quecreek Mine, as we mentioned, back in 2002. And they're with us this morning from Pittsburgh. Gentlemen, it's great to see you again.

So, Joe, as we said, you coordinated the rescue effort there at the Quecreek Mine. Give us some idea because this operation is more than three times the number of people that you brought up from Quecreek. What's going through the minds of the people who are in charge of this operation as they send that capsule down for the one-hour round trip?

JOE SBAFFONI, DIR., OF THE PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU OF MINE SAFETY: Well, you know, like I said, they've had a lot of time to put a plan together, and right now, they're just trying to concentrate on executing that plan. I'm sure there's a lot of anxiety there because you're dealing with Mother Nature, and things can go wrong, especially with the equipment and so forth.

But the way things have been going to this point, I have to believe that the officials on site are feeling pretty good. You don't want to get complacent, but everything seems to be going pretty smooth, and they're going to stick to their plan.

CHETRY: And, Dr. Kunkle, one of the things that we've been talking about is the order in which they're deciding to bring up the miners, some of the strongest ones at the beginning, some who may have had physical or mental problems. What are some of the potential concerns, physically speaking, as some of the miners who may have had conditions are being brought up?

DR. RICHARD KUNKLE, FOUNDER, PENNSYLVANIA SPECIAL MEDICAL RESPONSE TEAM: I think the issue is it depends on what their medical problem is. Individuals who may have had coronary disease or heart disease obviously are at fairly high risk. We know that one individual has had some lung problems of some type. I don't know what it is, most likely chronic obstructive lung disease. Those individuals will have to be monitored.

That individual will have to be monitored pretty closely and watched for desaturation, lack of oxygen, on the way up. We saw the miner come up who had diabetes. He looks in really good shape. There would have been some concern with whether or not his vascular system could have maintained his blood pressure on the way up, but that seems to have not been the case, and he looked perfectly well. In fact, all the miners have.

ROBERTS: Joe, what are your thoughts of the shape of the miners as you see them come up? You know, we saw Mario Sepulveda there high- fiving everybody and dancing around like he'd been away for maybe just couple of hours as opposed to 69 days and compare that to the condition of the Quecreek miners. The situation was completely different for them.

SBAFFONI: Well, the Quecreek miners were under for 78 hours but with no real conduit to them. So, you know, they were waiting for the rescue to unfold where Chilean miners, since the 17th day when they were located, have been provided with nourishment, food, water, medicine, you know, the things that you need to sustain yourself. The miners look like they're in great condition that are coming up down in Chile.

ROBERTS: All right. And the miners in Quecreek, they were wet and cold as well, correct, where these miners, what they had to deal with, 90-degree temperatures and 90-degree humidity.

SBAFFONI: Totally opposite. The Quecreek we're dealing with the cold and potential hyperthermia, and here, they're dealing with the heat. You know, two different ends of the spectrum, but, you know, Quecreek was a water inundation. The miners tried to escape. They got wet during the escape. They had to fight their way back up to where they came from in water.

So, they were damp, and the mining temperature, 55 degrees. So, yes, it was a little different -- little different atmosphere. The miners at Quecreek ended up getting close together, trying to get the heat off of one another.

CHETRY: Right.

SBAFFONI: So, it was a little different -- little different perspective. ROBERTS: You know, we should point out as we look at the top of the pipe there, you can actually see condensation coming up as that very warm air from the mine hits the cold air there in the Atacama Desert.

CHETRY: Yes. And that's the other concern, Dr. Kunkle. There was some who, apparently, because of the humidity and just the nature of the conditions down there, they were concerns about, I believe, skin infections, perhaps fungal infections. The ninth miner who's coming up is the one that you referred to with lung disease. He also only has two fingers on because of a previous mining accident.

These are pictures that we're looking at underground as well. He's going to be making his way up as well. In some cases, though, perhaps the monitoring of the food and medicine in some cases may have helped improve the conditions of some of the miners who may have had diabetes or been overweight?

KUNKLE: There's no doubt about it. The ability to have the several months or the two months that they've had to monitor and stabilize medical conditions, make sure that they had adequate medications and adequate therapy has made this much, much better than it would have been had they not been able to get medication to these men down there.

Your comment about the fungal disease is really an issue. Most of the skin diseases would be fairly self-limited, I think. The one problem with certain fungal diseases in the earth is that some of these can be systemic, can actually infect the lung and result in long-term complications. We'll have yet to see whether that's a problem.

ROBERTS: Yes. Certainly, the conditions underground, wet and warm as they are, perfect breeding ground for fungus as well. Joseph Sbaffoni and Dr. Richard Kunkle, stay with us. Thanks. Because we'd love to have you with us throughout the morning as we continue to watch this rescue operation unfold. We'll be back with you again in just a little while.

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CHETRY: Forty-three minutes past 5:00 here in New York this morning as a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING coverage continues now of the dramatic mine rescue unfolding in Chile. We want to show you the shot underground now as they prepare to bring miner number eight up to the surface. They've had seven successful rescues so far starting at about 10:50 last night.

And miner number eight is getting ready to come up to the surface. His name is Claudio Yanez, 34 years old, and he has a very interesting personal story as well as long-time girlfriend actually proposed to him in a letter as he was down there. They have two daughters, and they say that they're getting ready to marry when he comes back up to the surface.

ROBERTS: So, he really has something to look forward to when he gets back up to the top. Their family, friends, the president of Chile, Sebastian Pinera, all waiting for the men who remain trap this morning and greeting those who have come up already. Let's give you just a quick recap of where we stand right now. About 15 minutes ago, the seventh miner was pulled to freedom. This is all started about 11:00 eastern time last night.

Each man's journey to safety takes about 15 minutes. The capsule there, you can see in these live pictures from underground, and it's pretty remarkable, but we've got live pictures from underground just as headed the 2,000 feet or so down into the mine, and now, of course, they'll prep it, and they will put Claudio Yanaz inside it, get him all hooked up because they have biometric monitors on the way, so doctors can keep close tabs on how they're reacting.

They've got oxygen in there. They have to instruct the miner on how to put operate the equipment inside the capsule, get them all prepped, and ready to go to be hauled back up to the surface again.

CHETRY: Yes. And apparently, some of the other miners are talking to them as well, let them know what to expect those who at first waited up to the surface, at least, that was the case in the beginning. Let's check in with Gary Tuchman to see what else he's learned this morning because he's live at the mine for us.

And Gary, we're just talking about how surreal it is to be able to see nearly half a mile underground, this operation, so calm, so orderly, as they prepare to bring miner number eight up to the surface.

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: Well, Kiran, I said this a couple of times over the last six hours since the first rescue, but that shot underground, a half mile underground, is the ultimate live shot. I mean, who would have ever thought we'd see something like that. This has been an incredible production. I should point and they've (ph) cleared our views, they're not our cameras. These are Chilean government cameras, but they're doing it up right.

A live pictures underground. The live pictures of the reunion. The live close-up pictures at the point behind me. And what's amazing about this whole thing is this capsule looks like a toy. You'll see when it's underground, when it takes off, it looks like that there's an amusement park taking off through a hole in the ceiling, but it is saving people's life. They weren't sure before this all began, weren't 100 percent sure, and officials weren't 100 percent sure it would work.

They tested it without human beings, but once the first person came up and was safely rescued, confidence increased dramatically. Everyone is very excited here whether it's the family, the friends, or us, members of the press. But right now, seven miners safely up, 26 more to go and wait till you see number eight when he comes (INAUDIBLE) his girlfriend proposed to him and let's see if his girlfriend is there. I expect she will be there, and that will be some reunion. Back to you, Kiran and John.

ROBERTS: If she's not there, maybe she's waiting in the church. You've been talking, Gary, to a lot of family members there in Camp Hope. I think they've dubbed it. You know, how have the family members managed to keep their cool for the 69 days? TUCHMAN: Camp Hope also known as Camp Esperanza, the Spanish word for Hope. And yes, they appropriately managed it, but a lot of hope that this would end very well. I mean, keep in mind, John, for 17 days, they didn't know if their miners were alive. This collapse happened on August 5th. It wasn't until August 22nd that they're got a message that we're fine. All 33 of us were fine.

Who knows what these gentlemen were thinking underground. Maybe they're thinking everyone forgot about them, assumed they were dead. So, 17 days of terror (ph), and then each day since then, increasing hope, and now, we've come to this point where we have seen this toy rocket successfully rescued seven men, but more to go.

CHETRY: It is amazing. They say that this rescue involved untold millions of dollars, specialists from NASA as we have been talking about, drilling experts from 12 or so countries. All of it, you know, to be able to free these 33 men. Just an amazing show of force from around the world. And now, we're watching this rescue unfold as well with this shot underground right now as they prepare to bring miner number eight up to the surface.

ROBERTS: Yes. So, Gary, what's the process from here? And I know that you haven't been allowed that close to the area where the miners are actually being brought up, but we see them brought up in the capsule. They're allowed to greet loved ones as we saw with Mario Sepulveda. He run around and led a few cheers as well, but what happens to them afterwards?

TUCHMAN: Right afterwards, they go to a triage center which has been set up just in case there anything emergencies. There haven't been yet. After they go to triage center, there's another building about a five-minute drive away, it's the reunion center and that's where they can spend up a couple of hours with their family members, and cameras have been there too.

We've seen these emotional hugs and kisses and conversations. Mario Sepulveda spoke. That's where he was speaking at the reunion center. And then after that, all 33 of the miners are compelled to hop in a helicopter to go to a real hospital to get a real, good check-up, and most of them spend (ph) a free time in the hospital, and then go back to their normal lives.

CHETRY: All right. Gary Tuchman for us there. We'll see if life will ever be normal for these men who have endured so much, have gone through in the past two and a half months more than anybody probably expects to go through in a lifetime. And again, we just got word that they're putting this -- we can see it right now, but he's in there.

Again, as we said, they're given some instructions on how to operate some of the equipment inside. I believe there's a 40 percent mix of supplemental oxygen as well as they make their way about half mile up. It takes about 15 minutes to get to the surface.

ROBERTS: It's sort of the ultimate open shaft elevator ride, you know, some of those old elevators where you got the cage in front of you and you go up between the floors. CHETRY: Yes.

ROBERTS: Can you imagine there being -- it's only 21 inches across that capsule and you got more than 2,000 feet to go up and extreme darkness, you know, wondering all the time is it going to get stuck or is it going to continue all the way up. I mean, you can imagine what these guys are going through, even just in that ride.

CHETRY: Yes, it's amazing. There was also talk, you remember, about concerns would everybody fit in this capsule. Very small, as you said, just about two feet in diameter, and some of them were put on actual exercise regimens, diet regimens. They had access to some underground tunnels, so they were able to actually exercise, some of them doing as much as an hour a day of jogging to get fit.

I mean, you want to talk about your life depending on losing weight, I mean, this is a perfect example of that as we see the capsule now heading back up to the surface.

ROBERTS: That's just an amazing shot from deep underground there as that capsule disappears into that shaft and heads up. In the first 17 days that the miners were trapped before rescue workers located them, some of the miners lost up to 15 pounds because they were existing only on a very, very small amount of food. And then, of course, their dietary intake closely monitored after that.

Just an incredible job that officials have been doing in keeping these miners both healthy and keeping their spirits up as well. You can imagine what it would be like to be trapped even a few feet underground. And while it may not make much difference whether it's 10 feet or it's 2,300 feet, just the very fact that, you say, oh, my goodness, I'm a half a mile underground. How will anybody ever get to me?

And then early word, from the surface at least, and perhaps, not related to the miners in full disclosure, the idea that it may have taken four months to finally get to them, but this drilling team from Layne Christensen who we're going to be speaking with a little bit later on this morning got to them almost two months ahead of schedule, and now, we see the remarkable results of their efforts in pinpoint drilling that shaft down 2,000 feet into the ground.

CHETRY: Yes. It was amazing. When we first heard those outside estimates of four months, I mean, most of were thinking how the heck can anyone survive underground for that long? Chile's president, Sebastian Pinera, was not happy, I guess, with the early estimates. That's why he ordered not only one but three different options.

So, there were plans A, B, and C of drilling. And this was plan B that made it through. It broke through last Saturday at 8:05 in the morning eastern time when that happened. Meantime, you know, all eyes of the world have been on this area, Copiapo, Chile, the town that many of the miners called home, and it's been a sleepless night for the residents there to say the least.

ROBERTS: Yes, from the moment the first miner emerged from the rescue shaft, nothing but pure jubilation. Our Patrick Oppman has been watching it all from Copiapo's town square. Here he is.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

PATRICK OPPMAN, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Amazing images shown tonight across Chile, across the world in the home town of many of the 33 trapped miners. This town of Copiapo was galvanized by these images, the images of the trapped miners reaching the surface. A number of people filled the town square. The up coast, you see these images, cheers and shouts as they saw the miners reach the surface. One man by the name of Roberto Corino (ph) a miner himself. (SPEAKING SPANISH) Why were you here?

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: (SPEAKING SPANISH)

OPPMAN: Gracias. He says he's a miner as well. He's actually from a region that was hit by the tsunami this year in Chile. And he said that he knows what it's like to be underground. He said he's not leaving any time soon. One of the many patriotic people in this plaza tonight who are here to support the miners.

Patrick Oppman, CNN, Copiapo, Chile.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: Wow. So, there's a scene from the town. And now, let's take you back to the mine, the San Jose Mine. There's a look at the mouth of the rescue borehole that they've drilled there. And miner number eight, Claudio Yanaz, 34 years old, coming up, and when he comes up, he's going to be greeted by his girlfriend, the mother of his two children who sent him a letter down through that first little borehole that they drilled.

And it was, literally, the first thing that went down there or among the first things that were down there, a proposal of marriage. So, they'll be tying the knot soon after he is pulled back up to the surface.

CHETRY: You know the other amazing thing is almost just taking for granted at this point that this Phoenix capsule, the apparatus that they're using, everything has gone so smoothly. I mean, it's worked exactly to plan. Now, the eighth trip down and back up as we're about to see, and knock on wood, everything's gone according to plan.

ROBERTS: No. They're being meticulous in making sure that that rescue capsule is in tip-top operating shape, greasing the wheels after almost every trip making sure that it doesn't get stuck, God forbid, down that hole or coming back up. Our special coverage on AMERICAN MORNING at the mine rescue at the San Jose Mine in Copiapo, Chile continues in just a moment. It's 55 minutes now after the hour.

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