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Miner Number 12 Comes to Surface; Look Back at First Rescued Miner; Head of Pennsylvania's Quecreek Mine Rescue Discusses Strategies and Challenges; Look Back at Second Rescued Miner. Mexican Investigator Searching for Man Missing From Falcon Lake Beheaded; Hurricane Paula Threatening Mexico

Aired October 13, 2010 - 09:00   ET

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

KYRA PHILLIPS, CNN ANCHOR: I'll tell you. What a moment -- I have mixed in my ear guys, can we fix that?

But as we're working on the audio, I hope I can get this straight. There we go, we're clear.

It's amazing. I mean, we're talking about all these moments being so emotional and so passionate. But at the same time, I think we've all recognized how faithful these guys are.

I mean, that was amazing when Gomez came up --

JOHN ROBERTS, CNN ANCHOR, "AMERICAN MORNING": Yes, absolutely.

PHILLIPS: -- and dropped to his knees in prayer. I mean it was incredible. And I'm being told right now actually -- oh, OK. Do we have another -- do we have him? Is this the shot of the 12th miner coming up? Oh, OK.

Well, we're going to continue with the live pictures. Kiran and John, thank you so much. Like I said it's historic. It's emotional. It's a moment of national pride for Chile and let me tell you what. It is just hard to turn away.

Here's just a glimpse of some of the moments you might have missed since you've woken up.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

UNIDENTIFIED MALE (through translator): I'll have my dad by me again. I'll be able to hug him.

(END OF VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: Heartwarming, isn't it? Miners one by one traveling through inner space back to their lives and their loved ones from running into the crowd to dropping to their knees in prayer. You just can't help but fall in love with each one of these guys.

We're going to keep talking about this all morning as we are watching this and talking about the scope of the rescue. It's unprecedented and the joy at the scene is pretty much unbridled. Eleven men rescued so far. Working on number 12 right now but once they reach the surface, they are briefly united with their loved ones. We wish it could be longer because that's been some of the most emotional time, and then they're loaded into a helicopter and they're rushed for medical evaluations, and that's where our CNN's Patrick Oppman is right now.

He's actually there at the hospital where they have been coming in to.

And Patrick, I mean, so far we have been talking about some of the issues these guys are dealing with. Hypertension, black lung. But at the same time, it seems like their energy and their excitement and just that adrenaline, you would never know it because they don't hold back the emotions for a second. No matter what they're struggling with.

PATRICK OPPMANN, CNN ALL PLATFORM JOURNALIST: No, and they're feeling something that no one has ever felt before, Kyra. A record number of days underground. An ordeal really beyond words.

And this is the hospital that on August 5th got the call that there've been a mining accident. There could be trauma cases brought in here. This is going to be ground zero for what they thought was one of the worst mining accidents in Chile's history.

That is not playing out like that. And just one of the strokes of luck since August 5th they have been preparing the hospital. They have been upgrading this hospital. They've been bringing in experts, different machines, different equipment, and on the second and fourth floors behind me, those will become the new homes for these miners at least for several days, Kyra.

Doctors are not taking any risks even though they've been in touch with these men every day. They've been measuring their biometrics on a daily basis. They're getting this men a full range of health and mental check-ups.

And right now it's really -- we're in that period they're sending up the miner who are really in the worst health. Suffering from hypertension, suffering from black lung, suffering from just the crushing claustrophobia of spending months in a mine.

It's also worth saying -- worth noting that we are in the heart of Copiapo. This is the hometown of most of these miners and last night we were in the plaza. The downtown of this small mining community. And people just lost it. There have been a build-up here for so long.

These men on August 5th they left like so many do here every morning to go work in the mines. They're returning now today as heroes. Their lives and the lives of this community forever changed.

PHILLIPS: And Patrick, just to make the point, we've talked about a number of things these guys are dealing with. From diabetes to black lung to hypertension, but so far can we say nothing life threatening?

OPPMANN: Absolutely correct. And you have to remember, too, that these gentlemen haven't been sitting around waiting to be rescued. They've been working very, very hard. In the last few weeks, they've been clearing up to 12 tons of rubble every day with some of the machinery that was left over in the mine.

That rubble was the rubble that was coming down. That plan B drilling hole as the hole got -- as the drill got closer and closer, knocking rocks down. They had to clear that rubble. They've been very, very active. Some of these men had to lose a little bit weight to fit into that frankly tiny rescue capsule so they've been running, jogging -- over 2300 feet beneath the earth.

What an experience for them so they've been staying fit. Not only to the physical benefits but for the mental benefits, as well, Kyra, trying to stay positive throughout this whole ordeal.

PHILLIPS: Yes. It's pretty amazing to see how positive they have been as we've watched 12 guys now come up that -- or 11 -- no, no, no. 12th is on the way. That's right. Thanks, Scottie.

Eleven guys make it to the surface. Good news so far. They are dealing as you heard from Patrick with various ailments but so far nothing life threatening. At least one of the guys has black lung that we mentioned. Another one has diabetes.

All of them have spent more than two months as you know in conditions that the human body just isn't designed for. And we want to talk more about that and the kind of shape that they tried to stay in order to survive those 60-plus days.

Our medical correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta joining us with that, actually on a conference out there in Pasadena, California.

But it looks like you've had to put that aside, Sanjay, to talk about this pretty remarkable story since last night. I was watching you.

I guess the first thing I want to ask you is, are you surprised or not surprised about the fact that these guys, so far 11 of them, have come out with nothing so far that's been life threatening?

DR. SANJAY GUPTA, CNN CHIEF MEDICAL CORRESPONDENT: Pleasantly surprised I think, Kyra, is the best way of characterizing this. And I only say that because, you know, you're getting used to seeing these images now of these men coming up looking healthy, smiling, obviously.

And I think hopefully that's an image that continues throughout this entire rescue mission. I think it will be but it's really reflective of so much planning, so much preparation that has gone into this. And I think that's worth stating again.

I mean, Kyra, you've seen other mining disasters, you've seen other situations like this where even after just a few days, people who have been rescued have just been very debilitated and have not looked nearly as healthy as these men after 68, 69 days now coming up the way they look.

And I think that reflects the food, the types of food that they have been given. Hydration, obviously. After, you know, 17 days or so they went without adequate hydration. They got adequate hydration after that. The medications for some of them who needed it.

And just the overall planning of this entire rescue mission so you cannot overstate just what a big deal it is that these miners coming up look as good as they do. From a medical standpoint, it is quite remarkable. People half a mile down in the ground, some of them with preexisting health conditions.

It was hot, it was humid. There are all sorts of potential health concerns and yet the outcome, such a positive one, Kyra. It's just -- it's terrific I think from a medical and health standpoint.

PHILLIPS: OK. And let's -- stepping away from the medical side for a moment because you and I talk a lot about this off camera. We've talked about it on camera, too.

Let's talk about the spiritual side for a second and the power of faith in something like this. And we've watched it from the very beginning. We saw Mario Gomez come out of the mine not too long ago. He was the spiritual leader down there in the mine.

He was the one that when he came up, we saw him dropped to his knees in prayer. And you've studied this. You know that this part of medicine is incorporated to a number of medical schools now. The power of faith, the power of prayer and how that plays into the minds of all these guys when you've got somebody down there, whether they're believers or not, it's another powerful tool.

GUPTA: And it's not just the anecdotal, it's not just the subjective anymore, Kyra. What you're describing, this idea that these miners believe now for so long, you know, that they were going to get rescued. Obviously, the first couple of weeks there was no knowledge of what had happened to the miners but after that, there's been this sort of unbridled I think enthusiasm and this hope, optimism, belief that they were going to get rescued.

And what that does to someone's -- you know, the physical manifestations of that is again not just anecdotal or subjective. It gives someone the will to survive, the will to live and that's more measurable than it ever has been before. So you're absolutely right. The spiritual aspect of this is a big deal.

Also, say, Kyra, you know, having covered other stories where you have this sort of heroic period, as they call it now, there's a lot of media attention, there's a lot of resources, obviously a lot of enthusiasm for what's happening now.

For the miners, I think that they can -- they draw strength from that, as well. Of course, you know, a few weeks now when the attention starts to divert a bit, it's going to be important for these miners to somehow maintain that upbeat -- that optimism going forward.

I mean I think there may be a period of let down for a little bit of time for them but to be able to talk to each other, to be able to get that strength from each other is going to be so important. And, you know, a couple of weeks from now, a couple of months from now, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: And, you know, talking about the issue of claustrophobia, a lot of us have been wondering about this. In order to be a miner, that's something that you just -- you can't be claustrophobic and if you are that's got to be a real struggle but that was one of the concerns that these guys would possibly have a panic attack or some anxiety or get claustrophobic.

Explain that dynamic. Is it possible to never be claustrophobic but then when you haven't had sleep and you've got a lot of adrenaline pumping, and all of a sudden you're in this, you know, tight tube, knowing that you're minutes away from freedom, can that kick in and -- because so far it doesn't look like we have seen that. But can that happen?

GUPTA: Yes. You know, it's a great point, Kyra. And I think a lot of people who -- you know, these miners obviously trained for working in these confined spaces and coming up this tube. And you've seen those images like everyone else.

When you're coming up and you can see nothing but rock really around you, people who have never had claustrophobia before in their lives could have a component of claustrophobia. They could have a component of anxiety, panic attack.

And that, again, could have some physical manifestations in the body. People can become what is known as vasovagal, and what that means is you drop your blood pressure, you can feel lightheaded, you can feel faint, you can even pass out as a result of that.

There was some discussion, Kyra, as you may know, should some sedation be offered to some of these miners for the rescue mission itself, and that idea was taken off the table because they felt it was much more important to be able to communicate with the miners directly. Have them wide awake to be able to have a two-way dialogue if necessary as they were actually being rescued.

So again, what you're seeing unfolding here, Kyra, in some ways is going to write the playbook for -- like how to conduct a rescue mission like this should something like this ever occur again in the future.

But you're absolutely right. And I think that there were so many considerations including this one. What is it really going to feel like as they're brought through this tube, in this small little capsule?

PHILLIPS: Sanjay, let's pause for a moment. Miner number 12, Edison Pena, 34 years old, coming up from the Phoenix capsule. Let's just listen for a moment.

If you are just tuning in right now, the 12th miner coming up. Here we go. Edison Pena, age 34. I'm hearing possibly it's his mom there to greet him. But let's just kind of let the moment unfold here. They're checking him out, making sure he's OK. Getting him out of that capsule. Now here's a fun little tidbit. Edison is a big Elvis Presley fan and apparently he sent a request for Elvis music to be sent down into the mine to lead the group in sing-alongs. So it just wasn't the Chilean anthem that we heard from the very beginning and that we've been hearing all throughout the morning and overnight.

But this young man brought a little bit of Elvis Presley to the guys down below. And here we go.

(SPEAKING FOREIGN LANGUAGE)

PHILLIPS: There we have it. The 12th miner is out. Thirty- three miners trapped in the mine for more than two months. Now, they're finally getting to kiss their moms, their wives, their children. Finally getting up to the surface.

And so far, so good. This has been so remarkable, just watching all of them, no matter what ailment they might be dealing with, come out of that capsule shouting, singing, hugging, in tears. It's just been incredible to watch.

This is 34-year-old Edison Pena. And here's the little nugget that we found out about Edison. He's a big Elvis Presley fan, and he actually sent a request for Elvis music to be sent down into that mine, and then he led the group of miners in sing-along's to Elvis Presley. So we thought, hey, what a perfect way to go to break. Right? Edison Pena, this is for you.

(MUSIC - "Jailhouse Rock")

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: All right, let's take you back to the moment that the very first miner stepped out of that rescue capsule.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

(CHANTING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: That was miner number one, Florencio Avalos, 31 years old, coming out of the earth like he's born again. He gave his wife and son some love, then he got a big bear hug from Chile's president before he was carted off for his medical tests.

Avalos became the cameraman during the isolation. Remember all the video we had, the pictures we had? That was because of him. He shot the videos of the miners that were sent up to the surface.

Now, his brother is still down there, but I can promise you as soon as he comes up that dark tunnel to freedom, you will see it live, as well. All right. Taking a look at the ongoing mine rescue in Chile, 12 guys out now, 21 to go. Let's get another perspective, the strategy and the challenges. Joseph Sbaffoni of Pennsylvania's -- he was actually -- he's the Pennsylvania's Director of Deep Mine Safety, rather. He oversaw the Quecreek Mine rescue in 2002. So great to have you, Joe. I'm curious. As you have been watching this unfold live, does it take you back to Quecreek? Because, boy, we remember that, we remember the live pictures, and can you compare the two anyway? Are you feeling sort of the same exhilaration?

JOSEPH SBAFFONI, DIRECTOR, PENNSYLVANIA DEEP MINE SAFETY: There's no question it brings back memories of Quecreek. Very similar process. The Chilean rescue is much deeper and a little bit more dynamic as far as the engineering. But the memories do come back. The process is very similar. The capsule's very similar. So, yes, definitely brings back memories of the Quecreek rescue.

PHILIPS: So Joe, let me ask you. Anything from Quecreek that was incorporated into this rescue effort? Because we've seen help come from all over the world, from the US to other countries. Were you in any way involved in the consulting here? Any of the guys from Quecreek, and were they able to learn or gain anything from the rescue that you directed?

SBAFFONI: I think that probably the Quecreek rescue was a basis for this process down in Chile. Early on we had some consultation with people through the State Department. Also, provided some contact information for our special medical response team here in Pennsylvania, provide some medical assistance and advice.

But no question that Quecreek -- the Quecreek process and rescue definitely had an impact on how they were going to go about this process. I think they used it as the basis and developed it from there.

PHILLIPS: Joe, have we learned anything so far from this rescue that will be able to take it to the next level, the next time something like this happens?

SBAFFONI: Well, I think that it's demonstrated that we can go much deeper to execute a rescue. Quecreek was 241 feet. This rescue's well over 2,000 feet. Naturally, it takes longer to drill the rescue hole.

If time is not of the essence -- in this case, here, the miners were not identified or located for 17 days. But once they were located, then it was the time of drilling the hole. They were able to be provided for food, water, medical assistance so it demonstrated that we can go down over 2,000 feet and drill the appropriate rescue hole and rescue miners. So, it's a far cry from 241 feet.

PHILLIPS: Yes. No kidding. Joseph Sbaffoni is the Pennsylvania's Director of the Deep Mine Safety, oversaw the Quecreek Mine rescue in 2002 that we remember so well. We won't forget this one, either. Joe, thank you so much. Now we want to take a look at the overnight celebrations in Copiapo's town square. You'd actually think that Chile had won the World Cup. We'll take a look at that right after the break.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

(CHEERING)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

(APPLAUSE)

(WHISTLES)

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: We've been hearing a lot of that. Cheers, whistles, long-awaited embraces. This is Mario Sepulveda, and let me tell you what. We'll never forget him. He was the second miner that was brought to the surface, 40 years old, nicknamed Super Mario. You can probably see why. He brought a bag of rocks with him, started handing them out to his rescuers. He actually ran into the crowd, started hugging everybody. He had the most energy, he started leading all the guys in the Chilean song.

Also, while underground, he served as the spokesman for the miners. He even narrated the videos that were shot underground. Those videos that we saw throughout the past weeks. He also appeared in many of those videos. He was very colorful and boisterous, as you remember. He cracked jokes with the crowd. He even led them, as we mentioned, in a patriotic cheer. Not only underground with the miners but up top. You probably will see it in just a minute. See, there he is, joking with everybody.

He was actually led away on a stretcher after all that, because he had to have his routine medical check, and he asked his wife -- you ready for this? As he's being wheeled away, "How's the dog?"

We're going to keep following the rescues there of the miners. There are 12 that are up now, but we're also looking at other top stories we want to just bring you up on right now.

We've got a development in the disappearance of an American man on Falcon Lake along the Texas-Mexico border. You remember it led the Mexican investigators into this case. Apparently, we are being told, he has been beheaded. And his severed head was delivered to the military in a suitcase. We're talking about American David Hartley. His wife says that he was fatally shot September 30th during a sightseeing trip. Also right now, Hurricane Paula threatening the Yucatan Peninsula in Mexico. The Category 2 storm packing 100-mile-an-hour winds and is heading for Cuba.

And also, don't forget tonight, our Wolf Blitzer and the best political team on television in Delaware for the Senate debate with our special coverage. It starts at 7:30 PM tonight.

Of course, we're continuing to watch this heartwarming story half a world away but definitely universally inspiring. Blaring sirens, overjoyed families. They're greeting the Chilean miners as they're plucked from the collapsed shaft that had entombed them for 69 days.

Now, during that time, experts from around the world helped care for those 33 men, as they faced long odds and an agonizing wait. And one of those experts joining us once again from Johnson Space Center in Houston, Dr. J.D. Polk. He's NASA's Chief of Medicine.

Dr. Polk, you know, it's interesting when we think of our astronauts, they're always prepared for the worst, for the most part. Obviously you never know what can happen, but they're prepared. And these guys, in no way, shape, or form were prepared.

So are you impressed with the fact that they're coming up with such energy, such enthusiasm, even if they're suffering from some type of ailment, still so far nothing life threatening?

DR. J.D. POLK, CHIEF OF SPACE MEDICINE, NASA: Absolutely, Kyra.

And you're absolutely right. We have months to prepare, in fact, years to prepare for a space mission and simulate multiple contingencies, many times. And they have not had that luxury. And fortunately the miners are looking very good. The Chilean health authorities have done an outstanding job in paying attention to even the smallest details and have anticipated multiple contingencies and fortunately not had to use that expertise. The miners are looking very good.

PHILLIPS: So let me ask you, Dr. Polk, as you have advised these gentlemen. And I remember when it was announced that you and other NASA chiefs were headed down that way to help.

Did you actually see from last night to today, or maybe even in the past couple of weeks -- have you watched your advice in action? If so, what have you observed that they did so well that you brought to the table for them?

POLK: Actually, that's one of the great benefits that the Chilean government and Chilean health authorities have done for these miners is that they've searched the globe -- literally four corners of the earth and even above it, by consulting NASA -- to take every lesson they could, whether it was from previous mine accidents or from space flight and apply it to this situation.

And it's actually been very grateful for the recommendations that we gave to the Chilean health authorities to see them enacted and to see them -- especially last night seeing the first gentleman to come up and having his son give him such a warm hug. There's no better payoff for the hard work and the recommendations.

PHILLIPS: If you were to pick out a couple things, Dr. Polk, that you emphasized, and it could be from a medical perspective, it could be from, as you say, the perspective of overseeing this satellite-wise, what would you say they really -- they nailed it, they did it right?

POLK: Well, one of the biggest things that they've nailed was that they broke this up into separate segments. This was such a long operation with multiple different phases and aspects, each of them with their own hazard and their own difficulties that they had to overcome. And fortunately they broke those up into each segment. They tackled them. They paid attention to even the smallest nuance and they implemented the advice and they sought out the experts and did just a fantastic job. And as you can tell, although we still have a long way to go yet, things are looking very good.

PHILLIPS: Now, and I don't -- by -- in no way, shape, or form to jinx the good karma that's going on. But no doubt you prepared them also for the worse.

What do they still need to be concerned about as we get ready, it looks like we get ready to see the 13th miner, Carlos Barrios, come up through that tunnel?

POLK: Well, yes. Not to be too Americanized but it's not unlike a football game. We're at halftime right now and you don't want to let your guard down. You still got a couple more parts of this game to play. And, you know, folks could still have some medical ailments there. They still could have some complications. There still could be some engineering complications. So just being diligent and making sure that they don't let their guard down at all and to make sure that they anticipate all of those things that could go wrong still in this operation.

PHILLIPS: Dr. J.D. Polk, Chief of Space Medicine there at NASA.

J.D., always great to talk to you. Thanks so much and it's amazing what you've done for these guys. We sure appreciate it.

POLK: Thanks, Kyra.

PHILLIPS: You bet.

We're going to take a quick break but that doesn't mean we're going to stop our coverage. The 13th miner, you're seeing him right here. That's Carlos Barrios. He's about to come up, the Phoenix capsule there, that dark tunnel. Finally get a chance to hug and kiss his family and we will take it live as soon as it happens. Don't go away.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Live pictures right now as our 13th miner, Carlos Barrios, getting ready to come up the Phoenix capsule. This is amazing. I mean, not only is this entire story, everything about this story so historic, but it's incredible that we are able to get cameras from every single angle. This is down in the mine so we can watch the preparation as these miners get ready. They get changed, they get prepared with their headsets and their vests and their moisture suits. Make sure the communications are working well. A lot of them bringing souvenirs with them. Chunks from the mine which has been so heart-warming when they come to the top and they pass these things out. And you can see some of the other miners giving them the thumbs up, making sure they're OK, giving them encouraging words as they get ready to come up the tunnel.

And then we've got cameras inside the capsule, as well. See there on the left side, it's on the bottom of the capsule. So as the capsule comes down and the capsule comes out, you're actually able to see the journey live.

And then, of course, once they reach the top, we've got cameras everywhere. So you're seeing it from every single perspective which is just remarkable.

You know, the world is watching. And more than 20 families are still waiting right now, hoping that they're going to get their chance to hug and kiss their miner as he reaches the top. Crews are working non-stop, as you know, to pull the remaining miners to freedom.

CNN's Karl Penhaul is there at Camp Hope, Camp Esperanza, where one by one these miners are being reunited with their loved ones. And Karl, you've done such a great job covering this for so many months. We want to keep that energy and enthusiasm because this is the moment, of course, that everybody's been waiting for.

And, Karl, I'm sure you can hear it, too. You can hear everybody is clapping in the mine as the guys, there we go. As number 13 in that capsule, Carlos Barrios, is getting ready to head up to the top. Hopefully we're going to see him in within 15 minutes.

KARL PENHAUL, CNN CORRESPONDENT: Hopefully see him within 15 minutes. And certainly here at Camp Hope there's no superstition about being miner number 13. In fact, talking to a lot of the families where folklore and superstition blends for them, today is Wednesday the 13th But it's the 13th of the 10th month of 2010. You add those numbers up and you get 33. That is why the miners' families have been saying that today is a good day. If you add the numbers up, 33, to bring 33 miners back to the surface.

So Carlos Barrios and now on his way on the Phoenix 2 rescue capsule on the way back to the surface. A father of one child. His son certainly glad to see him heading back to the surface after almost 70 days underground.

But I want to tell you, as well, because each of these 33 miners has a story. Edison Pena, the number 12 miner, who has just reached the surface, he was vital to the team effort in keeping these 33 men alive, because that's what it was. If the 33 stayed alive, it was because they worked as a team. And Edison Pena was an electrician and what he did underground, we understand, was help use the vehicle batteries from trucks and from backhoes and hook them up to the miners' lamps on their helmets so that they could move around and weren't forced to live in darkness all the time. So he's an example of teamwork.

Also, an interesting fact, at least for me, about Edison Pena is that he can't speak that much English, but apparently according to his father, he can sing in perfect English every single song of Elvis Presley. Now up here at Camp Hope, every family has set up their own little shrine to their loved ones. And on that shrine that was set up for Edison Pena, his father put up the slogan, son, if you make it out of there alive, you're going to be bigger than Elvis.

Well, today, Edison Pena, miner in number 12, did make it out of the that mine. I can't tell you whether he's bigger than Elvis right now, but must be feeling way bigger than Elvis. It must be a great feeling to be back on the surface. I thought for a moment they weren't going to play the Chilean national anthem. I thought they were going to burst into some kind of Elvis song.

PHILLIPS: Karl, we did that. We did that for him.

PENHAUL: Exactly. One of my colleagues here was saying, one Elvis song he won't be singing is, "Caught in a Trap, Can't Get Out," because Edison was caught in a trap and now he is out. Maybe it's "Jailhouse Rock," maybe it's "Viva Las Vegas." I'm sure all the viewers will take their pick as to what Elvis song goes with the rescue.

PHILLIPS: And there's plenty of them for sure.

We lost contact with Karl there, because as you can imagine, all the signals that are coming out of this amazing and historic moment right now.

But Karl was just talking about Edison Pena, 34 years old. A huge Elvis fan. And he was the miner that asked for Elvis music to be brought down into the mine and he led all the guys in sing-alongs. So we had a lot of the Chilean anthem but we also had a lot of the guys singing Elvis songs. And sure enough, when he did come to the surface, we did exactly what Karl had suggested. We played some Elvis music to break. So, we'll continue to have some fun with that.

Great little piece of -- I guess you could say it's one of those pieces of flavor that we love to tell you about each one of these individuals, they all have a story, they all have something that was special to them that they brought to all of the other guys down there in the mine.

OK. We are getting ready -- hopefully within minutes to see Carlos Barrios. He is going to be the 13th miner that's going to be brought up. Twenty-seven years-old. A foreman at the mine. He's got a five- year-old son and he's a fanatic soccer fan, and also a regular player. He began mining 10 months ago. He left playing soccer to do this. So we will carry that live as soon as it happens.

Meanwhile, here's our third miner that had reached the top.

That's Juan Illanes Palma. He's an electrical mechanic. And like the others who have been rescued he wore the sunglasses as you can see to protect him from the brightest lights that he hasn't seen in more than two months. He's retired from the Chilean military. And his family says that the letters that he sent to them displayed his trademark of humor and optimism.

He showed it, too, as he took off that hard hat and hugged the president there of Chile and his family and all the guys that helped bring him to freedom.

More of our breaking news coverage from Chile right after a quick break.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: Well, they call him "Super Mario". And talk about super energy. How are we going to forget this guy? Mario Sepulveda inspired not only his fellow miners below but the rescue workers up top with patriotic chants of Chile after reaching the surface.

As you might remember, he was the second miner that was rescued. He was also the first guy to speak out after he handed out these chunks of the mine.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

MARIO SEPULVEDA, RESCUED MINER (through translator): And God doesn't carry out test 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 won. I held onto 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 that God wouldn't get me out of there.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

PHILLIPS: All right. He was also the cameraman that shot these videos. Remember? He shot them and narrated them. And you actually got to see the miners for the first time and you actually see how they were remaining so strong. And also we got to see them singing the Chilean national anthem as well. It inspired all of us and Mario was the guy that brought us all those pictures.

All right, we want to check other top stories real quickly for you.

The death toll from a toxic sludge spill in western Hungary has now risen to nine. Last week a waste reservoir at an aluminum plant burst, flooding nearby villages with an estimated 184 million gallons of poisonous chemical sludge. The government says that work will resume at that plant at the end of the week.

And a federal judge has ordered the U.S. military to immediately cease all enforcement of the "don't ask don't tell" policy effective ending the ban of openly gay troops. Last month, California Judge Virginia Phillips ruled that the policy was unconstitutional. The Justice Department has 60 days to appeal.

And on Wall Street, stocks set to advance this morning at speculation the Fed will take additional measures to jump start the economy. The Dow industrial is up 61 points.

(COMMERCIAL BREAK)

PHILLIPS: We're back live, straight to Chile. We're getting ready to see the 13th miner pulled from the mine there in Chile. We're talking about Carlos Barrios, 27 years old. Here's a foreman there at the mine. A 5-year-old son is what he has. Also, he's a very fanatic soccer fan and a regular player.

He's only been working in the mine for ten months. That's actually when he left soccer and started mining. Not quite sure who's there to greet him. Possibly his father as he starts to come up. The Phoenix -- let's go ahead and listen in. Let's listen in.

All right, what they're doing now is -- if you are just tuning in and watching these rescues, basically members of the rescue team up top -- here comes the Chilean chant. Let's go ahead and listen.

What the rescue workers are doing is -- is they're just -- they're checking everything, and they're also unhooking various connections because they've had a headset on where they have been communicating with the miners up top. They've got a special -- a special vest on that's monitoring all of their vital signs.

It's got to be sort of a slow and calculated process. They've got to un-strap him and slowly bring him out and make sure he's ok. They're communicating with him. And make sure that he's heart rate is all right. That he's -- he's speaking with rescue workers, that he's got it together.

What we're assuming -- and I hate to assume but what the heck I'm going to do the best that I can here -- That that's his father waiting for Carlos Barrios, 27 years old, who had just stepped out of the Phoenix capsule there.

You can hear everybody along the side. Boy, their energy hasn't stopped, either. Every miner that comes up, we hear the Chilean chant.

Something by the way that you will hear at the soccer games, which is perfect for Carlos Barrios because he's a huge fan and a regular player. There he is, he looks pretty good, they're checking him. He's stepping out of the harness, and there we go.

I'll tell you what, it sends chills up your spine and it always gets you a little teary-eyed as well. Carlos Barrios, 27 years old, he turned to the crowd and in Spanish said, thanks to all of you.

And you're -- if you have been watching this unfold, you have been seeing basically the routine of what happens. They -- they come up, they are -- are checked out by rescue members there up top and making sure everything is ok. They bring him out of the capsule. They get to greet their loved ones.

We think that Carlos there embraced with his father, both of them very teary eyed, exchanged some words, and then he was able to talk all the -- the members, the officials there, the government. Now he is going to be brought in to be checked out by the medical team and taken to the hospital.

But here we go, 13 miners brought up to this point. We're -- we're almost there, almost to 33 miners; so far, no life-threatening issues. The guys look good. Their energy is incredible. And there is nothing better than to see that love shared with their family members.

We're going to keep following this story for you, of course, we're not taking our eyes off this. We will follow the live pictures and let you know as each miner gets ready to come out.

The 14th miner is next. That's Victor Zamora. I'll tell you more about him in just a second.

But also we can't forget an extremely important story that we are following today. We're talking about 20 days from today, Americans are going to cast their votes in the midterm elections. Can't lose sight of that, and the very control of Congress, as we've been saying every day now, may be at stake during these elections.

One of the most watched contests in the state race is Delaware. And tonight CNN is actually going to carry a debate between the leading candidates.

CNN's Brianna Keilar at the University of Delaware where that showdown will be taking place. Brianna, I'm just wondering, I mean I know everything. It's all politics. It's all about the debate, but is there just not one television on there in Delaware, watching these miners come up?

I mean this is an amazing story. Someone's got to be monitoring it there while going over their debate notes.

BRIANNA KEILAR, CNN CONGRESSIONAL CORRESPONDENT: I think this is the story everyone is watching today Kyra, but we're also awaiting the debate here; a beautiful, crisp fall day on the University of Delaware campus.

We're waiting this debate between the Democrat here, Chris Coons; and the Republican Christine O'Donnell co-moderated, of course, by CNN's own Wolf Blitzer.

And this is a race here that has gotten so much attention not so much for the issues that are at play here in Delaware but for the personalities of the candidates, especially Christine O'Donnell, the Tea party candidate. She's someone who has been dogged by comments that she made nearly a decade ago. And at the same time she has a lot of enthusiasm and has been able to raise a whole lot of money since she was able to beat the Republican establishment pick in the Republican primary just last month.

And then you have Chris Coons, a county executive here in Delaware. He has actually been enjoying a sizable lead in the polls here, and that's given him a somewhat comfortable position of trying to stay above the fray. Democrats then confident that they're going to be able to hopefully hang on to these seats that Vice President Joe Biden held for 36 years. But at the same time in this political climate, they're not taking anything for granted, and that's why this debate tonight at 7:30 PM, again, co-moderated by CNN's Wolf Blitzer, is going to be one that's really worth watching -- Kyra.

PHILLIPS: All right. Brianna, we'll be watching. We'll be following that story.