Camp Hope's spiritual mission is over

They descended on the barren land around the San Jos mine after it collapsed on 5 August, scared that all the miners were dead but refusing to give up. Many of the relatives are deeply religious and prayed almost around the clock for their men.

Now the rescue operation is over, they began gathering up their clothes, sheets, pots and plates yesterday and headed off, leaving behind ragged signs with photos of the miners and messages of support.

Alfonso Avalos, whose two sons Florencio and Renan were among those trapped for 69 days, sipped tea around a smoldering campfire not far from the rescue shaft.

He was planning to visit the hospital in Copiapo later to pick up his sons, and then make the long trek home to the south fo the country with nearly three dozen family members.

"We came here to get them and we want to go back home all together," he said.

Daniel Marin, a family friend, sat on a stool, writing a letter to all the miners to express his solidarity and his faith in God.

He was in bittersweet mood - joyful about the "miracle" he was part of, but reluctant to leave a place he feels is now imbued with a sense of the divine.

"I think I've fulfilled my mission here, so it's time for me to go," Mr Marin said.

Day and night over the past ten weeks, religious vigils brought families together with the engineers and rescue teams working flat out to bring the miners to safety.

When search crews first found the miners were alive 17 days after the collapse, the tent city quickly swelled in size. It was dubbed "Camp Hope" and some relatives say they want the bleak terrain turned into a sanctuary.

Most people at the camp gave president Sebastian Piera high praise for leading the rescue effort, which is likely to buoy support for him at home and burnish Chile's image abroad as the most well-organised country in Latin America.