All 33 Miners Rescued

All 33 trapped Chilean miners were brought to the surface Wednesday. Family members, heads of state, and more than 1,300 journalists are greeting them with cheers and hugs. The second miner to come out, Mario Sepúlveda, danced out of the capsule, embraced family members and Chilean President Sebastián Piñera, and distributed gifts of rocks. “I’ve been near God, but I’ve also been near the Devil,” Sepúlveda said. “God won.” The rescue has put Chile in the international spotlight, and may even relax tensions between Chile and its neighbor Bolivia; Bolivian President Evo Morales thanked the Chilean people for rescuing Bolivian miner Carlos Mamani and said, “These events are fostering greater trust between Bolivia and Chile.” The rescue is paying off big for President Piñera, the first right-wing president in Chile in 20 years, who bucked his advisers by committing totally to a successful rescue. Though the rescue capsule’s door has been sticking and its wheels needed to be repaired, Chile’s mining minister hopes the rescue will be complete by the end of Wednesday. President Obama also opined, after watching some of the rescue operation on TV, that the rescues were inspirational.