Dawn breakthrough hope as Chilean miners' ordeal creeps to end

Chilean miners trapped underground for 65 days were preparing for release last night last night as rescuers announced that they were a few hours from reaching them.

Engineers drilling a two-foot wide evacuation shaft expected to break through to the miners' den 2,300ft below the surface of the high Atacama desert, by dawn today.

"Today could be a great day," Chile's mining minister, Laurence Golborne, announced in a posting on his Twitter page.

Sebastian Pinera, the president of Chile, said: "Hopefully, God willing, in a few days we will be able to cry as a nation in happiness - just as we did when we found out they were alive -when we see them emerge from the depths of the mountain and hug their wives and children."

He added: "What started as a tragedy should end as a great blessing, because this epic of the miners has illuminated the soul of our country and strengthened the Chileans' spirit."

The 33 men have been trapped since 5 August, when the roof of the San Jose copper and gold mine in the mountains near Copiapo collapsed.

It was not until 17 days after the incident that anyone knew that they were alive, when they stuck a note to a drilling probe that broke through to their den. "Estamos bien en el refugio los 33," it said in Spanish. "We are fine in the shelter, the 33 of us."

The rescue tunnel may have to be lined with steel casing to strengthen the sides and reduce the chances of the escape pod jamming, delaying the start of the rescue for up to 10 days, but mining experts fear that this process could risk clogging the hole again.

A doctor of sports medicine has been responsible for the miners' fitness regime, drilling them daily via a video-conference link. Each wears a chest-strap that reads his vital signs and allows medics to monitor them as they perform exercises aimed at not only maintaining their health but also conditioning them for their rescue.

Each must squeeze into a capsule just 21 inches in diameter and remain perfectly still as it is hauled to the top. The journey takes a minimum of 30 minutes.

Their exercises have helped to condition their muscles, to reduce the chance of cramps, and strengthen the blood-flow to the brain, to help protect against them blacking out.

Navy commandos and paramedics will be sent down the shaft to evaluate their conditions and help get them strapped in.

The strongest of the miners will be eased up first, so that if there are problems with the cage sticking, they are able to release themselves and return to their lair. Those with physical weaknesses such as blood pressure problems and diabetes will go next, with those judged to be the most mentally resilient being left to last

For some, rescue may not bring an altogether joyful ending to their extraordinary survival story. Doctors say that they could face mental health issues as a result of their ordeal and are ready to help them through months of post-traumatic stress.

President Pinera plans to be at the minehead to greet the men, who have become heroes in their country and won the president new popularity for his calm management of the crisis.

"We have acted as a government must in these kinds of situations," he said.

"When we realised that day, Thursday 4 August, that the San Esteban mining company wasn't capable of handling the rescue, we decided to take on complete responsibility. And just as I said on that first day, we have done everything humanly possible to bring them out alive."