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Breaking News

Drill Breaks Through to Trapped Miners

Aired July 27, 2002 - 22:40   ET

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

THIS IS A RUSH TRANSCRIPT. THIS COPY MAY NOT BE IN ITS FINAL FORM AND MAY BE UPDATED.
CAROL LIN, CNN ANCHOR: We just got some breaking news. The pool reporter who is actually at the scene where the drill went into the ground in this massive rescue operation for these nine miners, the pool reporter has now reported at 10:15, which was about 25 minutes ago, that yes, the drill has broken through. They made it through that final leg of six feet. The drill has broken through.

It will take another hour for this drill to be extracted out of that hole, so that they can now lower a special capsule, a Navy capsule down into that hole with -- armed with a camera that will feed back pictures of hopefully these men still alive. And these men will be able communicate with their rescuers high above the ground. So a major step in this operation and the beginning of an extremely delicate operation to extract these men. And it also means because we are now able to report it, that the families now know that they've been able to punch through that mine shaft.

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