Rescue mission to save 33 Chilean miners trapped a half-mile underground is ongoing

After being trapped a half-mile underground for 69 days, the Chilean miners are finally being brought up to safety.  So far 13 out of the 33 miners have been successfully rescued. The miners have been trapped since Aug. 5. The miners have been emerging one by one in narrow capsule that slowly travels down to bottom of the rock.

The world was watching when the most physically fit miner, Florencia Avalos, appeared in the capsule to the surface and was greeted by grateful tears from his family and a celebration from the crowd. Chilean president, Sebastian Pinera, who has put the future of his presidency on this rescue, was also on hand to embrace the miners, according to The New York Times.  

The second miner to reach the surface, Mario Sepulveda was overjoyed with excitement. "I've been near God, but I've also been near the devil,"

"God won," Sepulveda said according to The New York Times.  

The rescue mission, that has included drilling experts and NASA specialists from all over the world, has costs millions of dollars. Some at the rescue site have compared the mine rescue to the Apollo 13 space mission, according to the New York Times. The mission that was predicted to take two days is ahead of schedule, according to The New York Times.  

Photo courtesy of Rescate Mineros in flickr