End in Sight

Chilean Miners Near Freedom

Rescue shaft could reach them by Saturday.

It’s been a long two months for the group of Chilean miners trapped underground, but their nightmare is almost over. The country’s mining minister, Laurence Golborne, reported today that the drill being used to bore a rescue hole to the group has only 90 meters left to go. “We expect to break through around Saturday,” Golborne said—though he cautioned that it could take longer should mining equipment need to be replaced. After the hole reaches the miners, workers will need to assess whether the shaft needs to be coated or reinforced, which could further delay the process. Once they’re ready, each man will be pulled out individually, a process that will take about an hour for each miner.