智利矿工被困69天后全部获救

在全球观众注目下，智利圣何塞铜矿场受困矿工自当地时间13日凌晨零时12分陆续搭乘“凤凰号”救生舱顺利升上地面。身在现场和通过电视观看救援直播的人们都为这一次生存奇迹鼓掌欢庆。目前，这33名受困矿工已经全部安全回到地面“重获新生”。北京时间13日上午，首名矿工弗洛伦西奥．阿瓦洛斯搭乘特制救生舱，成功回到地面，正式拉开了最后阶段大营救的序幕。排在最后的是54岁的矿工负责人乌尔苏亚，正是在他的带领下，33名矿工度过了事故发生后最艰难的17天，等到了救援的消息。

All of Chile's 33 trapped miners were rescued from the bowels of the earth in a special capsule on Wednesday as an extraordinary two-month survival story many call a miracle triggered wild celebrations.

Luis Urzua, 54, who was leading the shift at the time of the collapse, was the last of the miners to travel through 2,050 feet of rock to the surface in a capsule barely wider than a man's shoulders.

Celebrations erupted across the country as he emerged to a hero's welcome above the San Jose gold and copper mine in Chile's northern Atacama desert, wearing his hard-hat and dark shades to protect his eyes after spending 69 days in a dimly-lit tunnel.

Urzua beamed as an elated crowd chanted, yelled, sobbed and waved red, white and blue Chilean flags. The miners have set a new world record for survival trapped underground.

Rescue workers opened the capsule door and hugged Urzua, who had insisted throughout that he would not leave the tunnel until all the other miners were safely evacuated.

They are now all safe, thanks to a meticulously-planned rescue operation that went quicker and more smoothly than anyone dared to believe.

Now the rescue workers who traveled the down the shaft to help evacuate them will themselves be winched to the surface in the metal capsule, named Phoenix after the mythical bird that rose from the ashes.

Church bells rang out in Chile when the first miner was extricated and Chileans were glued to their televisions, proud of their nation's ability to save the men in a world class rescue operation.

"This was the toughest match of my life," said Franklin Lobos, a former professional soccer player who turned to mining and driving a taxi to make ends meet, as he emerged from the mine.

The miners were whisked away for medical check ups and were found to be in good health, except for one who has pneumonia and is being treated with antibiotics.

"This is a miracle from God," said Alberto Avalos, the uncle of Florencio Avalos, a father of two who was the first to emerge shortly after midnight.

Euphoric rescuers, relatives and friends broke into cheers -- and tears -- as the miners emerged to breathe fresh air for the first time since the mine caved in on Aug 5.

The flawless rescue was a big success for Chilean President Sebastian Pinera, who waited at the mouth of the shaft through the night and day to greet and hug the men as they emerged from the red, white and blue capsule -- the Chilean colors.

Pinera, a billionaire entrepreneur who took office in March, ordered an overhaul of Chile's mine safety regulations after the accident. His popularity ratings have surged and his government has won praise for its handling of the crisis.

Among millions of people who watched television coverage of the rescue of the first miner was U.S. President Barack Obama, who hailed the operation as an inspiration to the world.

"This rescue is a tribute not only to the determination of the rescue workers and the Chilean government but also the unity and resolve of the Chilean people who have inspired the world," Obama said in Washington.

Thirty-two of the miners are Chilean but one is from neighboring Bolivia and the rescue has helped improve ties between the two countries, locked in a bitter dispute for more than a century over Bolivia's demands for access to the Pacific.

Bolivia's President Evo Morales was at the mine to welcome the Bolivian miner, Carlos Mamani, as he was lifted to safety and he thanked Pinera and his government for rescuing him.

Chile will continue to shut old, decrepit mines after the miners' saga, but the clampdown is unlikely to hit output in the world's top copper producer, industry insiders say.

The mining industry has played a central and often tragic role in Latin American history, starting with the hunger for gold and silver that drove the Spanish conquest and led to the enslavement of indigenous peoples.