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American Morning

Chilean Miner Rescue Underway

Aired October 13, 2010 - 06:00   ET

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


ANNOUNCER: This is CNN, breaking news.

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR: Good morning and thanks so much for being with us. A special edition of AMERICAN MORNING on this Wednesday, the 13th of October. We're following breaking news, and unlike most breaking news, this is breaking news which so far has had a happy ending. The rescue of 33 trapped miners in Chile ongoing right now.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Just amazing. We went on an hour early today and so I'm sure when our alarm clocks went off this morning, John, like yours, I looked at, you know, my e-mail right away. And I saw first miner has already made his way up. I thought, unbelievable, that here we are 69 days later and this operation went as smoothly as possible, at least so far.

We are now watching live as they're about to bring miner number eight up to the surface right now, a man by the name of Claudio Yanez, 34 years old. So as we've talked about this has gone to plan, from the first miner brought to the surface just before 11:00 Eastern last night all the way up until now, 6:00 a.m. This has continued and the jubilation has not waned at all even though many people have been up now for days helping in this rescue.

ROBERTS: Yes. I mean, there was no such thing as an alarm this morning, sort of watching from 11:00 last night when the first miner was brought up.

Our Karl Penhaul has been watching this for more than a couple of months now. He is on the ground there in Copiapo, and we'll be joining him in just a couple of minutes.

But an interesting story with the fellow who is in the capsule now coming up. And we see the wheel slowing down just a little bit. It had been going. You can sort of watch the progression of the capsule by watching that wheel on the top. It had been moving at fair clips a couple of moments ago, now slowing down.

CHETRY: Right.

ROBERTS: Probably an indication that it's getting very close to the surface. And the guy inside, an interesting story.

Claudio Yanez will be greeted by his girlfriend. We believe her name is Cristina Nunez. She sent him a proposal of marriage while he was trapped underground. They have two children together, and so wedding bells will be ringing in the not too distant future when Claudio comes back up.

CHETRY: Yes. And there you can see the lights on as the rescuers are preparing. And we should be seeing -- you can see one of them sort of moving around there in the front. It looks like we're about to see this capsule, the Phoenix capsule surface again with Claudio Yanez inside. We don't really know much about his health. We have little blurbs telling us a little bit what we know about each of these miners. The first few brought up to the surface said to be some of the strongest, some of the leaders of the group. In the middle, they wanted to bring up some who perhaps were suffering either from chronic health conditions or perhaps mentally and were not holding up as well as the others. We don't know what his condition is, but we know that he's 34 years old. And so, we'll see in just a moment what he looks like. Everyone else has been brought up to the surface. Even miner number seven that they were worried about because of his diabetic condition looked great when he came up.

ROBERTS: He did. You know, these miners -- they were going to bring them up strongest first and then once they had some medical problems and even the ones with medical problems looks like they're in fabulous shape.

Our Karl Penhaul has been watching all of this unfold for the last couple of months. He's in Copiapo outside of the San Jose mine. And what are your observations this morning, Karl, from being there on the ground as we watch this all unfold this morning?

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: I think there are a number of observations. My first observation is just the wow factor of this, just how well the Chilean government had planned every fine detail about right down to the television transmission of it. I was absolutely amazed last night when this rescue mission got under way not only to see those live pictures from the surface. We knew those were coming. What we did not know was that as soon as that Phoenix capsule broke into the underground mineshaft that the pictures would cut to a live feed of the Phoenix capsule going down into the ground. Absolutely amazing. I'm also amazed by the kind of condition these miners look in as they come out to the surface. You know, we saw Florencio Avalos, the first man up, step out of that cage.

CHETRY: Hey, Karl.

PENHAUL: And he was hugged by President Pinera. President Pinera really promised to hug him.

CHETRY: Hey, Karl, I just want to let you know, I know that it's hard for you to see the video as it's happening. But we just saw miner number eight, Claudio Yanez, brought up to the surface and the Phoenix capsule has just been opened. You can hear cheers. People chanting Chile as we see him. And he looks in pretty good shape as well from what we can see.

ROBERTS: Yes, he certainly does. And his girlfriend, Cristina Nunez, will be there to greet him and sort of put a seal of a kiss on that proposal of marriage, if you will, that she sent down to him in the early going. Looks like he's in fabulous shape. Karl, you've -- let's just take a moment and listen to this as this moment unfolds.

(APPLAUSE)

ROBERTS: Wow. There was a hug for the ages and one that brings a tear to the eye.

Karl Penhaul, as you were saying, just the wow factor of watching all of this is so moving.

PENHAUL: Absolutely, John. And I can tell you something. Cristina Nunez is one of the women that we have got to know very well over the last seven weeks that we have been here. I can tell you now, Claudio's ribs, Claudio's shoulders must be aching from that hug because Cristina has so much emotion, she is such a bubbly woman, and that she was telling me that that is what she was going to do to Claudio when he came back to the earth's surface. Just this huge heart. She is an absolutely passionate woman.

Claudio and Cristina have been together now 10 years. Like a lot of these miners' stories, a lot of these miners and their wives have got together and maybe formalized their union with some kind of civil marriage but in that time underground these miners have really had time to reflect their partners up on the surface have had time to reflect and, in fact, there have been a number of proposals by the miners to their wives. Let's do the right thing. Let's go for a full out Catholic wedding when I get out. And this is one of the cases in point, Claudio and Cristina.

But also what I find amazing is we have spent so many weeks talking to the female counterparts here on the surface, the wives and the sisters and to see the men folk that we have been talking about for so many weeks. And now to see them almost in person certainly in the natural light of the night or the day is absolutely amazing.

You know, take another look at these -- take another look at these pictures that we've loaded on the gurney there about to be taken into the field hospital that is up there by the extraction point and again, he looks in good shape. Thumbs up as he comes out of the capsule. What about that hug? Isn't that the way you'd want to be greeted after 70 days underground, John?

ROBERTS: Oh, my goodness. And here's what she said.

CHETRY: I love it.

ROBERTS: She said this is what Cristina told reporters. She said I've never done much with my hair but now I got some blonde highlights and shortened it. I've given myself a complete makeover.

CHETRY: Yes. She also went on to say she's going to be donning a racy -- a lacey, little red baby doll outfit for her post-rescue reunion.

ROBERTS: OK. One of those that we need to know that. CHETRY: Hey, you know what? She said it. And good for them. You know, she had it all planned out. And again, they have an 8 year old and a 1 year old. They say that they're going to do the first thing that they can to fix a date to get to the civil registry and get married.

ROBERTS: Wow. Karl Penhaul with us this morning. Karl, we'll cut you loose for a little while. Thanks. We'll get back to you.

Dr. George Bonanno from Columbia University is with us this morning. When you think of the idea that he had been underground for 69 days and during the hardships that they must have been down there, we can't even begin to imagine what they've gone through, and you see what great shape he's in and you see that hug from his now fiancee, I mean, are you somewhat surprised to see how great emotional shape and physical shape these men are in?

GEORGE BONANNO, PROFESSOR OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: I'm not really surprised because I think that most people are -- human beings are quite resilient. But this has been a remarkable event on all counts. They've been through an enormous amount. They've been through the whole gamut. They've been through initially what would be considered a potentially traumatic event. They've been through chronic stress, a long haul. They've been through this, I think, very demanding trip up to the surface. The entire time they've had a period where nobody was in touch with them, which would have been incredibly stressful. But they've also had all kinds of things going for them. They've had the cohesion of being together. They've had their training, their preparation. They've had the connection with the surface, constantly feeding to them and, you know, sending them support and the sense of being connected and sharing this experience with others. All those things make this really quite a remarkable event.

CHETRY: And so this is the other interesting aspect as a lot of them have said. We're going to make some changes. In this case with this couple, we're going to get married. They've been together for a long time and they decided that they're going to get married. When something like this happens, it sort of, I guess, what? Just sort of changes your priorities? Is that something that then lasts long-term or do you sort of fall back into your own ways as the months and years goes by?

BONANNO: Yes. This probably depends on the individual. I mean, I think for a lot of these men, they will fall back into a normal routine and that could even be depressing. I don't want to sound too negative about it, but normal everyday life could be kind of mundane and almost disappointing after this. But not necessarily. There's going to be a whole variety of reactions.

ROBERTS: You know, we talk about soldiers and marines coming back from tours of duty in Iraq and Afghanistan and when they get back home they find that things have very much changed for them because the situation is so different. You know, obviously, these guys weren't at war but they were suffering intense stress of a different kind. Do you think it will be similar? BONANNO: That's a really interesting analogy though, because one of the similarities between war and this event if you can make a connection is that they've been underground for two months which is a long time.

ROBERTS: Yes.

BONANNO: And they've been coping. They've been finding ways to deal with what they've been confronted with. And now they have to turn that off. So, you know, that's not so easy. You know, two months is a long time.

CHETRY: Yes.

BONANNO: So whatever they have done has become almost reinforced and habitual.

CHETRY: And also, they worked together and relied on each other for 33 days. I mean, when I was reading about some of them, one of the men is the only, I guess, non-Chilean, he's from Bolivia. He says he's going back to Bolivia and he's not going to mine anymore. But, you know, how about those connections between all of them that were together. I mean, is it going to be almost like a separation? You know?

BONANNO: You see varied connections from soldiers together at wartime. And I think something similar would have happened. It won't be, you know, as exciting as all this. It won't be completely positive, you know, because there certainly were probably some ere dynamics down there. Fortunately, they knew each other as a group and they had an already existing group dynamic with leaders and a structure to it which is very important.

ROBERTS: Yes.

BONANNO: Probably not everybody was thrilled with the situation down there and the roles. So there may be some bitterness. You know, that's almost inevitable. But I think in general, though, the sense of what they did together will last probably for the rest of their lives.

ROBERTS: Some of the miners have said that one of the things they're going to miss about being back up on the surface if you could miss anything about being trapped underground is the camaraderie they had with their colleagues down there.

BONANNO: Yes. Absolutely.

ROBERTS: What about the job that the Chilean government and mine officials and others who have been brought in on this? What about the job that they have done over these last two months to keep these men from going out of their minds?

BONANNO: I think it's remarkable. They have sent very strong messages, very positive messages, which is really what you want to hear. You want to hear that we're looking for you. We're looking out for you. We're going to do everything we can.

There was still that period where they waited for, you know, any word. And there must have been also the enduring stress and strain of not knowing if they would ever really be rescued. Even right now, they're probably some of the guys down there are wondering if they're still going to get out.

CHETRY: Yes. I mean, you're right. And I just really feel for the ones that are some of the last to leave. I know that we've talked a lot about the order. The last one is really the foreman of the group. He is the one who chose to go last. He wanted to make sure everybody was up safely. His name is Luis Urzua (ph), 54 years old. And it will be interesting because as more leave, the ones that are left down there probably have a lot going through their minds as well.

We're watching, by the way, the prep of the capsule for number nine and this is something we are going to be watching for because Mario Gomez, 63, he's the oldest of the miners -- mining since he was 12 years old. And he is the one who has lung disease related to his time in the mine but also suffers -- he only has two fingers on one hand because of a mining accident as well.

ROBERTS: This guy has obviously given a lot to mining. Here's the ironic thing about him. It was just by happenstance that he was there. He was getting ready for his retirement but wanted to test drive a new truck. And so took the truck into the mine and found himself down there in the collapse. But, as they prep this capsule to send it back down again, the trip down takes about 11 or 12 minutes and then they'll probably be in there for another 15 or so as they get Mario Gomez. They've prepped him ready to go and then there'll be another 12-minute ride back up to the surface. So we're looking about a half hour from now we expect him to come back up.

What about, Dr. Bonanno, going back down into the mines? We've heard the Bolivian miner say that's it. I'm done. I'm going back to Bolivia. I'm giving up mining. Do you expect that a good number of these miners will say, and perhaps under pressure from their families, as well, say that's it. I'm done with mining. I'm going to find another way to make some money.

BONANNO: I am not an expert in mining. But I would imagine that a good number of them will probably go back down in the mines. It's what they do. It's -- it is their life. You know, what they do, what they know.

CHETRY: Yes. And what about for the rescuers as we were talking about earlier when we spoke to two of the gentlemen who were there for the Quecreek mining rescue. Nine men trapped, only 77 hours, but in some cases a little more harrowing because they were up against it when it came to potential hypothermia because of the water down there. There was this, unfortunately, a suicide of one of the rescuers that many felt was related to it.

What - what concerns do these rescuers who've given so much of themselves, almost, in some cases, put their lives on hold to help rescue these men. What - what happens to them after this? BONANNO: Well, I mean, they are usually trained, and it's a very stressful job, but they are - you know, they are - they're usually accustomed to these kinds of things. I think that it's often easy to overlook the stress on the rescuers, and we know that people in these high risk kind of roles do - they have a breaking point as well, but they do - you know -

So there is a stress to consider. I think, for the most part, they handled it enormously well. But there is stress to consider.

CHETRY: We're looking out as well at this makeshift camp, Camp Esperanza or Camp Hope, that - that families and rescuers were living in throughout this ordeal. They even actually had some of the children going to school at that camp, in an effort to be closer to their loved ones.

For - for so many who - who've watched us - we're - we're going to listen to a little bit of this in - in a second.

It seems as though their - their lives were on hold as well, as they - as they waited for this to happen. Everybody sort of has to recede back into their everyday lives.

BONANNO: Yes. And I think the - the stress on the family is - is something also to think about. And I think, you know, we can say the same thing about the families. They've been remarkably resilient and able to - to really hang in there. But they've been through a lot too.

CHETRY: We're - sorry. We're just getting this - some of that guidance in our ears right now. But this is the Minister of Health we're hearing, giving an update. However, we don't have the English translation.

ROBERTS: Yes. Jaime - Jaime Manalich. We don't have simultaneous translation. We had some - I mean, we had a simultaneous translation earlier in the night and we'll - we'll work to reestablish that. But obviously giving an update on sort of the condition of the miners, the state of the rescue.

Perhaps the - the most colorful of the rescued miners, 40-year-old Mario Sepulveda, is grabbing headlines in Chile today. I mean, you should have seen the scene when he came up. One morning paper dubbed him "Super Mario".

He was the second miner pulled to freedom. After being rescued, he brought up with him a little yellow bag and handed out souvenir rocks from down in the mine to government officials and - and rescue workers.

CHETRY: Yes. We laugh, but they'll probably be worth something someday.

ROBERTS: Maybe not moon rocks, but certainly a - an interesting souvenir.

But you can imagine the presence of mind he had and the - the state of his mind to, you know, bring up -

CHETRY: To do that (ph).

ROBERTS: -- to do something like that.

CHETRY: You're right.

ROBERTS: This is really incredible. Because you would think that after being underground for that long, all you'd want to do is get out.

CHETRY: Right.

And he also kept his sense of humor. We - at one point he also asked his wife, "How's the dog?" After those 69 days, that's what he asked her.

Let's show you another paper. This is a Chilean paper, capturing Sepulveda again on the front page, as you can see, waving and then hugging rescuers, leading them in a patriotic cheer. He was actually rallying the crowd.

He served as the spokesman and the video narrator for a lot of those videos that they made while they were trapped.

ROBERTS: Yes. And as you can see by the morning papers today that we have with us, "USA Today," "The New York Times," this is the big headline. These were published, though, as they were waiting to begin the rescue operation.

CHETRY: Yes. We've got one, "The New York Post" in their late (INAUDIBLE) final, "Miner Miracle: Rescuing Chile After 68 Days." And there you see Super Mario again.

ROBERTS: Yes. And this is a miracle that's going to continue for the next day. They're bringing up -- preparing to bring up number nine, and it's taken them seven hours to do that. So, given that - that timing, it will probably be the rest of today and probably into the wee hours of tomorrow morning before all 33 miners plus the four rescue workers who went down to help them all, make it back out of the mine.

Special coverage here on AMERICAN MORNING is going to continue as we watch the rescue of these Chilean miners, trapped underground for two and a half months now.

It's 19 minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

CHETRY: Welcome back to the Most News in the Morning. We're continuing our breaking news coverage of the mine rescue in Chile.

Let's show you live some pictures now at 22 minutes past the hour from the rescue site. We'll be getting an update from the health minister, talking about what the condition has been of a - JAIME MANALICH, CHILEAN MINISTER OF HEALTH (through translator): -- what had been (INAUDIBLE).

CHETRY: -- of the miners brought up to the surface. We're hearing so far that everything seems to be going well, and they - they talked about a little bit of a lack of sleep, obviously, over the past few days, the miners being tired as well.

ROBERTS: Let's - let's take a moment hear and listen to Jaime Manalich and you hear what he's saying about the - the rescue operation thus far.

MANALICH (through translator): The Phoenix is behaving extremely well. The transfer time is getting short - is shorter than what we thought. The capsule is not experiencing any damages.

The communication system is working extremely well. The video images that we are getting from the gallery are in very high definition, and they show us that the preparation for bringing every miner up is going very well. The monitoring of vital signs is going very well also. And, right now, we expect less problems than we thought we would be facing. Jose Ojeda suffers from diabetes. He had - he had given us additional work these last few days, but, fortunately, his can - his blood pressure was just a little high and glycemia - sugar in the blood, and - and this was normal. So we really don't have a problem with the miner as a patient.

UNIDENTIFIED MALE: As you said, the group of the more frail miners is coming up. What special measures are you taking in the case of these miners?

MANALICH: The next patient has some health conditions, and he represents a problem, probably, the most serious challenge that we will face during this rescue. We are using special equipment, a mask, that will cover his entire face, and he's getting a higher dose of oxygen.

From the very first moment, when the - the nurse from the army, the Chilean army, went down there, he started working with him, making him cough, explaining to him over and over and teaching him how to use the mask. We'll just have to wait and see what the result of these efforts will be. We'll see this in a few more minutes.

And I have confidence that all dangers have been foreseen and things will go very well, which is in this case, which is the most difficult. He's having to - he had to use supplements of oxygen. He's been getting antibiotics due to infections. He's using a bronchodilator.

So there is a situation of risk here, but within the humanly possible bounds we have tried to prevent and foresee any situation that might arise. And I am confident that we will meet with success.

ROBERTS: That's Jaime Manalich - Manalich, who is the Health Minister of Chile, talking about miner number nine, Mario Gomez, who is going to be pulled up next. We just saw the Phoenix Capsule go back down to pick him up. And he is saying there are health concerns with him more so than any of the other miners because he does suffer from a lung condition. So they're going to put that full coverage facemask on him. Give him supplemental oxygen.

It really is, as we said just a few minutes ago, a matter of happenstance that he was down in the mine - Lilianet - in the mine. Lilianet Ramirez, who is his wife of 30 years, had begged him the day before this accident not to go down in the mine and said it's children's day the next day. Want you to spend it with your children and your grandchildren. And he considered that, but then he said, look, I don't want to be irresponsible. I'm a miner. It's my duty to go down in the mine and - and so he did.

And he said that he was going to quit just after Christmas. So you can imagine what she thought when the mine collapse happened 17 days between that time and the time that they discovered the miners were there. But she's about - Lilianet is about to be reunited with Mario after 69 days now. So I imagine he's going to get a little bit of a scolding at some point -

CHETRY: No way.

ROBERTS: -- in addition to a welcome home.

CHETRY: Well, you know, they also sort of called him the de facto spiritual leader. They say that he requested a crucifix. He wanted some statuette of saints, so that they could make a shrine down there.

And as we just heard from the health minister, he is being treated and they say they're doing everything humanly possible to try to limit the risk because of his lung disease. Sixty-three years old, been mining since he was 12. So he's on antibiotics, bronchodilators probably to help him breath, and as you say, the supplemental oxygen as well.

But, again, this is miner number nine who will be making his way up shortly. What we're showing you there is video.

ROBERTS: This is - this is videotape of an earlier miner coming up.

Our Gary Tuchman has been around Camp Esperanza, Camp Hope, for the last few days, talking to folks and as well he's monitoring the situation here as the - as the rescues happen from a little further distance than we're seeing those cameras.

Did you ever get a chance to talk to Lilianet Ramirez over these last few days, who's - she's the wife of Mario Gomez?

GARY TUCHMAN, CNN NATIONAL CORRESPONDENT: No, I did not get a chance to do that, John, and it's very interesting. One of the things you just pointed out here is the lung condition and it's sad. It makes you wonder why he's worked in a mine for so long because that's not a good place for someone who has a lung condition. But hopefully he'll be OK. He is the oldest miner in the mine at the age of 63. As a matter of fact, he's old enough to be the grandfather of the youngest miner who three hours ago, Jimmy Sanchez, 18 years old came out. And Jimmy Sanchez is saying while he was down in the mine that he was so - he was so homesick and missed his mother's cooking and he was so grateful as well all these other miners to be out - to be safely out.

The second miner who came out, this was many hours ago because we've been here now for a long time. As a matter of fact, it's been seven hours and 15 minutes since the first miner came out. But the second miner was a gentleman by the name of Mario Sepulveda. And Mario already is a big time hero in Chile with the morning newspaper say Super Mario, an allusion to the, you know, the people who play video games, Super Mario Brothers.

But Super Mario made a name for himself because after he came out and he greeted his relatives and he got an immediate medical check, he went to the reunion room where people then going to reunite with their families and loved ones. And the cameras have been in there for a few shots, but it's supposed to be some private moments. But he made a decision to talk to the public and what he said was very emotional. Take a listen.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIO SEPULVEDA, RESCUED CHILEAN MINER (through translator): God doesn't carry out tests with anyone, no. I think we have the possibility of being able to face things in life like we have just faced. I have faced many situations but I think this was the hardest, but I am so happy that it happened to me because I think that it was a time to make changes.

I was with God and I was with the devil, but God - one. 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 that I doubt that God wouldn't get me out of there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

TUCHMAN: So that is Super Mario. So eight miners were out, 25 still to go, one on his way up. We still have miners down there who, one of them for example is a big Elvis Presley fan. He brought down Elvis music. I presume they did not play "Jail House Rock," that might got them very depressed being down there for so long.

And also, we have a man, a more serious thing, whose father was also a miner and was also trapped for a week in another collapsed mine years ago.

So, lots of different people and they've become comrades in arms. They will be friends for life because of this very unique experience, the survival experience -- John and Kiran.

KIRAN CHETRY, CNN ANCHOR: Absolutely. You can imagine, after being through what they've been through together, they would certainly have a bond, something that many of us can't even fathom.

Gary, it's also interesting when we look at the camp, Esperanza, Camp Hope, reading some of the firsthand accounts from Mario Gomez's wife, Liliamet Ramirez, she said that in the first days and weeks after this, the reason they were all gathered there is because they feared that if they left that rescuers would give up the search.

And she says that one night it looked like they were packing up, and all of the relatives came. She came there with a frying pan and marched up to the gates and actually hit one of the police with it. She said, I feel terrible about it now but I was overcome with rage. They were afraid that people might perhaps give up on their loved ones.

TUCHMAN: When I heard her say that, Kiran, it really resonated with me and I'll tell you why. When I was in Haiti the day after the earthquake, we were at a -- we were at a store, grocery store, and a lot of people were trapped inside the store. This very heroic Icelandic rescue team was there rescuing people, pulling them out and they had the most modern equipment and they ascertained that there was nobody left inside.

And there were about 50 family members staying out there, who they knew their loved one were inside the grocery story. And they begged, they said, please do not leave. We're sure our loved ones are in the store.

And the Icelandic men felt terrible because they didn't want to leave but there were so many other places they had to be and they were absolutely sure no one was left in the store. So, they left. These people did not leave the parking lot. Ultimately, they convinced the rescuers to come back the next day even though the rescuers didn't think anyone was there and they found another person alive in the store. So, this situation here reminded me of that situation in Haiti.

ROBERTS: Wow. Incredible parallels. So, we see.

Gary Tuchman for us in Camp Esperanza this morning -- Gary, thanks so much.

Crossing the half hour, you're watching a special edition of AMERICAN MORNING as we watch the continuing rescue of these miners who have been trapped underground for 69 days. Eight of them brought up safely so far. Operation number nine happening right now. The drama, the sheer emotion of this unprecedented rescue bringing tears to millions of people watching around the world. Have a look.

(VIDEO CLIP)

ROBERTS: That was the second miner rescued, Mario Sepulveda, embracing co-workers and leading them in a Chile cheer. Chi, chi, chi, le, le. I mean, just to see not only the jubilation on his face but the energy that that man had coming out of the mine. The cheers keep erupting, the tears still flowing in this history making morning at Chile's San Joe mine.

Live pictures now from Copiapo where 33 men have spent 69 days entombed underground. Eight of them are now free. The capsule is going down to pick up the mine. First worker was raised to the surface in a capsule fittingly named Phoenix for rebirth just after 11:00 p.m. Eastern last night.

CHETRY: Each of those miners will be undergoing physical and psychological health checks at a field hospital. We've seen them emerge even Mario who looked in perfect health after being down there for 69 days still then had to get on a gurney and be taken to the field hospital just for those checks. They need to be sure that everyone is OK.

Our next guest is an expert on how people cope with traumatic events. He's a professor of clinical psychology at Columbia University. He also wrote the book "The Other Side of Sadness."

ROBERTS: Yes. Dr. George Bonanno joins us on the set this morning.

And, George, when you look at these pictures, I mean, when you look at Sepulveda, 69 days underground, and he's got a enthusiasm of a man who just finished a six-mile run.

DR. GEORGE BONANNO, PROFESSOR OF CLINICAL PSYCHOLOGY, COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY: He's a clearly remarkable human being. No other way to say that, yes. One of the things that we see across these kinds of events and it's very important to keep this in mind, there are always a wide variety of reactions. There are different reactions for different people.

So, some people will react to these events with remarkable strength. Remarkable courage and come out looking unstoppable. Most people will, I think, be able to endure the stress pretty well and then, unfortunately, some people will also suffer, perhaps longer lasting consequences.

CHETRY: What are -- what can be done to make sure that everybody has the best possible outcome after enduring this?

BONANNO: Well, a lot of -- it's rare to be able to influence the unfolding of potentially traumatic event. This is really a kind of remarkable situation in that the government and the rescue teams were able to interact with the trapped miners and do things to make the experience -- to foster their health and their ability to endure the experience. The constant contact with the outside world and the fact that they had jobs for them to do, I think, is remarkable; the fact that they were themselves structuring their life down there. All of those things bode well for what will -- how they will endure this event.

In the aftermath --

CHETRY: This is, by the way, a live picture of the capsule underground in the mine where they are prepping it to bring up miner number nine.

BONANNO: And even this part, the fact that rescue teams are down there with them and the fact that it's on live coverage, live television means something. It means that they know they're not alone in this event.

ROBERTS: It is really remarkable when you consider the extent of the coverage that the government of Chile has set up here -- live cameras on the surface watching very closely each and every move and this live camera 2,300 feet underground. And it's so surreal when you see that capsule appear and then disappear going up that long borehole taking these miners to safety.

Sebastian Pinera, the president of Chile, suggested in the last couple of days that these miners, maybe not to a man but certainly some of these miners, George, are going to have a problem reintegrating into society after being underground isolated and with in such close contact with their co-workers for so long. What do you think?

BONANNO: I don't think anyone can say, categorically, they will or they won't have problems. I think probably most will do OK. This is what we see across all kinds of events.

It's a little tricky with this event because -- forgive the phrase -- there was very little data on how people deal with a situation like this because it's so completely unique. You know, there is expert data from NASA, you know, deprivation or isolation.

CHETRY: Right. They compare it to time spent in a submarine or close environment and some liken it to what it might be like to be, you know, in a war zone.

But you're right, there isn't -- these mine tragedies rarely have a good outcome.

BONANNO: Well, we know certain things about those situations which you can't learn from submarines but people go in a submarine voluntarily. They don't get trapped in submarines this way. So, that's, you know, the danger and the sort of unanticipated aspect of this and what really makes it difficult.

But I think that, you know, I think most of them will cope pretty well because we see that across a wide range of events. We also see that some people are remarkable like Super Mario, this man who is truly remarkable. And we do see that. There's a small subset of people who just seem they can do anything.

We also do see though that some people will suffer casualties.

ROBERTS: Yes.

BONANNO: We should anticipate that because there probably will be some men who have difficulty reintegrating, they have difficulty readjusting to life, they have difficulty getting over anxiety or the stress of what they've just been through.

ROBERTS: And what -- to what do you attribute their ability to remain so mentally strong? I know you talked about the fact that they were doing work and apparently, they did have a lot of work to do because there was a lot of rock that was falling down as this borehole was being dug. But there have been teams of psychologists on the surface that have been working with them and also establishing hierarchy among the miners.

Is that part of what's helped them to cope so well with this?

BONANNO: I think -- you mean a social hierarchy?

ROBERTS: Yes.

BONANNO: Yes. I think that's very important because it does structure the relations and structures their activities -- and structure keeps us clear. One of the things they've really had to deal with here, I think it's not so much traumatic event. There was a traumatic part possibly in the beginning, but mostly, which is the endurance and chronic stress and keeping their minds clear, keeping their minds from wandering to when you have very little stimuli and you are in an enclosed place, your mind can go all kinds of places, sometimes not such great places.

CHETRY: So, that's the beauty of as you said, the social structure that they had down there. There was leaders, they were given tasks, they were given hours that they were doing things. Someone else said that there was -- they knew what time it was because they had cell phones.

I want to show the picture of Mario Gomez, who's the next one to be brought up. They're prepping the capsule right now. He's the oldest of the miners. He's the one who had probably the most vital health concerns that they were worried about. He's on antibiotics, as well as needing supplemental oxygen because of a lung condition.

But it was interesting because what his wife said in this firsthand letter that she had written that's now published is that as soon as they were able to send letters, she said that he sent up some 40 letters, many of them were full of positive things. He said that he was the spiritual leader and then she also said that seeing him on the video link was the hardest thing because of how sick he had looked. She said he'd become thin. He had a long beard, looked exhausted.

And she also, you know, in a very sage, you know, writing that she realizes that she might not be getting back the same Mario. And she's OK with that.

BONANNO: Well, she -- immediately, she probably won't get back the same Mario. But it's hard to say how he will change. He may not necessarily change much over the longer term. But because, again, this time will pass and he will resume his normal life.

ROBERTS: You know, speak to this idea, too, of the miners wanting to present themselves in the best possible way. We have seen pictures over the last 2 1/2 months of the miners looking very bedraggled, hair eschew, long beards, as Kiran was saying, Gomez had.

They asked for supplies, toiletry supplies, so that they can wash their hair. Apparently, there's a water fall down there that they could bathe in. They wanted shoe polish to shine up their shoes. They got razors as well.

The men that we're seeing coming up look like they have not even been down in the mine for an eight-hour shift, let alone nearly 70 days.

BONANNO: Good for them. I mean, that could have all kinds of explanations. It may be simply just another activity.

There is some research, though, very interesting research that came out after 9/11 and a couple of other events, that the notion of one's self being a survivor or hero is very important actually in how people cope with these events. So, I wouldn't say this conclusively, but this sense of they've gone through this ordeal and they are heroes in a lot of ways, I think it makes perfect sense that they would want to present themselves in this -- in this manner as they come up.

CHETRY: What about worrying about the relatives? This is also something that's interesting because in this letter that we're getting from Mario's wife that she sent out for people to be able to see, she said that he also wrote to her in the first few letters, "Please go home. I don't want you out there. I don't want you in the cold. And she said that I'm not going home until I can take you home with me. I'm here until you leave with me."

So, in one aspect, they are worried about their own lives but then also knowing, because of that two-way communication, that their loved ones, that their children in some cases are putting their lives on hold, as well, does that help or does that add to the anxiety?

BONANNO: It's probably a mix. But I think it's very important to have a sense of -- those statements struck me as he's still playing the role of the husband and father. And that hasn't been taken away from him.

The communication I think is just remarkable in that regard that he was able to still be -- still have the relationship he had and still have it even when he was down there and still participate in that relationship, which gives him still something to live for, something to hold onto, something to be while he's down there. He's not just a guy stuck in the ground.

CHETRY: Right.

BONANNO: He's a father and a husband.

ROBERTS: What we're watching right now is preparations to get Mario Gomez back up to the surface. They're getting him into that capsule. According to Jaime Manalich, who is the minister of health for Chile, this is going to be the most complicated so far of the rescues because as we have pointed out, Mario Gomez suffers from a lung disease. They're going to have to put a special full coverage facemask on him because obviously, there would be a little bit of dust kicked up by the Phoenix capsule traveling back up through that borehole.

So, they want to make sure that he doesn't inhale any of that, exacerbating his lung condition. They've got biometric monitoring as well. They have on a regimen of antibiotics because his condition is somewhat fragile.

But, you know, here's a guy who has really given his life to mining. He's been working in the mines for 37 years. He's got lung disease as a result of mining. And we see that with coal miners here in America as well, black lung disease. It just literally robs them. Their work literally is killing them.

And, you know, to some degree, that's the case here with Mario Gomez. But the day before the accident, his wife pleaded with him not to go down in the mine, to take the day off because it was children's day, wanted him to spend that time with their daughters and their grandchildren and he said, George, he said, "No, I don't want to be irresponsible. I'm a miner. It's my duty to go down into the mine."

What do you make of that mindset from a fellow who is 63 years old and has worked his entire life in the mines?

BONANNO: Well, it is his identity and it is who he is. So, it makes sense that he would say that.

The danger, I think, once he was trapped is what would be called counterfactual thinking, that he -- and I don't think he did that. It doesn't sound like he engaged in it.

But the notion of "if I don't leave, it's not going down," you know, the if-then statements, we can drive ourselves crazy with those.

CHETRY: Right.

BONANNO: It sounds like he didn't do that. And now, that it's almost over, he will have one of the best stories one could ever have to go into retirement with. He can tell this story for a long time. That's kind of really nice thing.

ROBERTS: Thankfully he'll be allowed to retire, too.

(END VIDEOTAPE)

CHETRY: We just lost the live shot there, but these will be a tense 15 minutes because this was the first miner that's coming up to the surface who had significant medical problems. And we're seeing now there's the winch up there. The wheel is starting to turn. And so, we're expecting, I would say, about 11, 12 minutes perhaps until he's brought to the surface they can get an assessment. We can all see --

ROBERTS: Look at this picture.

CHETRY: What it looks like -- ROBERTS: Obviously, there's a little bit of a delay here because it's being brought up digitally that there is the capsule slowly rising out of that cavern bringing Mario Gomez back to the surface after 69 days. That is just an extraordinary picture to look at.

CHETRY: It really is because it's also just the calm and the organization around it that's remarkable. I mean, you know, imagine yourself trapped for 69 days, and you're calmly, you know, methodically watching people around you slowly leave, and you're down there. I mean, everybody's first instinct you'd think would be running out, bang on it and let me in, and instead, they're sticking with the plan.

People are obviously well aware of and all on board with how this is going. And so, now, we're seeing maybe in 11 to 15 minutes, we're going to see Mario Gomez come up to the surface. We'll be able to get a better picture of how he looks. And of course, we also got word that helicopters just departed the scene as well taking some of the miners who'd already been brought up to the hospital for further testing.

ROBERTS: We want to make sure that we're with you live as Mario Gomez comes to the surface. So, we're going to take this opportunity for a quick break. By the way, we want to hear your reaction to what you've been watching, these emotional rescues. Send us an iReport at CNN.com/miners or cnn.com/iReport, and your video could very well end up on CNN. Special coverage here on AMERICAN MORNING will continue as we watch Mario Gomez rising to the surface. Forty-seven minutes after the hour.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

ROBERTS: Ten minutes now to the top of the hour. Continuing coverage of the dramatic mine rescue in Chile. There's a live picture at the scene of the San Jose mine. Families, friends, the president of Chile, all waiting for the men who remain trapped this morning. They've been down there for 69 days. More time than anyone has spent underground. Still, the rescue was way ahead of schedule. Last night around 11:00 p.m. eastern, the first man made the half mile journey to freedom.

CHETRY: Yes. Ever since this happened August 5th, I think many of us have thought about it each and every day whether they're going to be able to bore through, whether they're going to be able to actually reach these men. All of the plans in place, will they hold up? It seems like -- it's such a long shot especially being able to actually get that rescue capsule working, and so far, we've witnessed what is now going to be very shortly the ninth rescue and everything has gone extremely well.

They've had no hiccups so far according to our reporters who've been there watching this unfold over the past seven weeks. Here's where we stand right now just to give you an update. Eight miners rescued, so far. The ride up the shaft takes about 15 minutes, although, it appears that the last few times have gone a little quicker than that. There are still 25 miners underground as well as rescue and paramedics waiting to be brought up to the surface.

ROBERTS: Karl Penhaul is one of more than 1,000 journalists around the world who are covering this unprecedented rescue, though, Karl Penhaul is an army of one himself.

CHETRY: He sure is. And he's in Copiapo, Chile this morning with more on the latest. And you know, Karl, we're watching very closely because Mario Gomez who's coming up next is the one who seemed to have the most medical problems of the group. We heard that update from the health minister on the special treatment that he's getting as he rises to the surface.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN VIDEO CORRESPONDENT: What I want to tell you, Kiran that Mario Gomez has a very special place. We've made very good friends over the last seven weeks with his family particularly with his wife, Lila Ramirez. And she's emerged here at Camp Hope really as one of the natural leaders. She is a woman who has maintained her composure. She has stood by her man throughout this.

She has endured the heat of the desert during the day and the frigid cold nights. She simply, at night, brings out logs, throws them on the campfire and huddles down for another night, and now, all of that waiting is going to be paying off because Mario Gomez is coming up, the most veteran miner. And yes, we've heard, Jamie Manalich, the health minister saying this is the most delicate health problem. Mario will be fitted with a full face oxygen mask enriched oxygen to help him get up through this claustrophobic rescue shaft.

But Mario, let me tell you, and I know this from his wife, Lila, he's like a piece of old tough boot leather. He's been at this game since he was 12 years old, yet, he's got the respiratory disease, silicosis. That's what miners in America called black lung. And that's just one of the dangers of his job because mining here in Chile is, yes, one of the main income earners for the country, but some of the conditions those miners have endured historically have been very bad. Mario Gomez is a testament to that --

CHETRY: We lost Karl just for a moment there. I'm sure we'll get him back in a second.

ROBERTS: You know, from time to time, and you might see it pop up here as we wait for Mario Gomez to rise to the surface. His wife, Lila, has been waiting on scene taking pictures with her flip cam. So, you may see an image of her pop up here in the next couple of seconds or so. Let's right now go to the Pennsylvania where we find Joe Sbaffoni. He's the director of the Pennsylvania Bureau of Mine Safety and Dr. Richard Kunkle who's the founder of the Pennsylvania Special Medical Response Team.

They were both involved in the Quecreek Mine rescue back in 2002, and nine miners trapped underground for a little more than -- there's Lila right there with her flip cam standing with mine officials. Nine miners were trapped underground for a little more than three days. Wet and cold and this was the first time that we saw publicly at least one of these rescue capsules being used. And Joe, let's bring you in now, when you look at the scene here and you look at what's going on there in Copiapo at the San Jose mine, how are you struck by the whole operation?

JOE SBAFFONI, DIR., OF THE PENNSYLVANIA BUREAU OF MINE SAFETY: It brings back a lot of memories very similar to the operation at Quecreek. We weren't down as deep, but the same process, drill the rescue hole, make sure that the hole is safe and then place the rescue capsule and lower it down and get the miner in it and bring the miner back out. So, although, the depth is much greater in Chile, the process is very similar.

CHETRY: Yes. And the depth much greater as we said some half a mile down that journey. We're watching the wife of one of the miners about to come up, Mario Gomez. Lily (ph) taking pictures and smiling. She's been there every day since August 5th since it happened. Dr. Kunkle, I want to ask you, though, about the condition of Mario Gomez. We talked about his lung issues.

The health minister said he's been on antibiotics. He's been on bronchodilators. And that he's going to be using that full facemask of oxygen on his way up. What are the concerns that they might be faced with rescuers and medics as he comes to the surface?

DR. RICHARD KUNKLE, FOUNDER, PENNSYLVANIA SPECIAL MEDICAL RESPONSE TEAM: Silicosis is long-term disease that really fixes the pulmonary respiratory tubules, and they're going to have to make sure that he has the most amount of breathing capacity that he can have. And that's why they are putting him on the bronchodilators. They put him on antibiotics to try and reduce the risk of a pneumonia which is one of the complications that these kind of individuals have.

My suspicion is that he'll be fine coming up and that once on the surface, he'll have some respiratory tests done to make sure that his breathing is all right, and if it's not, they'll be able to initiate some therapy very quickly.

ROBERTS: Joe, as we've been watching this rescue unfold over the last almost eight hours now, we see them being very meticulous in their operation, you know, maintaining that Phoenix capsule to make sure that none of the wheels get stuck. We see them greasing them up every trip. You would think that since things have gone so well that there might be a tendency to say, OK, the things have gone well so far, let's go a little faster, but they don't seem to giving into that temptation. Why not?

SBAFFONI: I think the officials there are in charge, and they're keeping control of the whole operation. You don't want to get complacent. You don't want to get ahead of yourself. You know, they've had plenty of time to put a plan into place, and the main purpose is to follow that plan. Stick to the plan.

The only time you want to vary from the plan is if you have to. And as we've been watching, they're sticking to their plan, and so far, they haven't had any problems to have to address a different avenue. CHETRY: You know, it's also interesting. People are wondering how are we seeing all of these pictures. The Chilean government did set up this satellite and online signal. They were able to broadcast not only from above the surface but underneath 2,300 feet below. We're actually seeing the miners step into that rescue capsule.

ROBERTS: Oh, and look they've removed the block to stop the rise to the surface. They remove the block which means that the capsule is very close now to the surface. So, in just a couple of seconds, we'll probably see Mario Gomez emerge.

CHETRY: All right. We want to say thank you to both of you for being with us throughout the morning. You've provided a lot of insight for us. You've certainly lived through a similar situation at the Quecreek mine. Thanks to both of you for joining us this morning.

SBAFFONI: You're welcome.

KUNKLE: You're welcome.