Escape capsule fuels hope of early rescue for Chile miners

Chilean rescuers are growing increasingly optimistic about pulling the 33 trapped miners out far sooner than originally estimated, and with drilling quickly advancing on three narrow escape chutes, they are now racing to decide on a design for the capsule that will lift the men to safety.

President Sebastian Pinera has staked his presidency on being able to show the world that his government has safely rescued the miners ahead of schedule.

He promised the men, who were feared dead for five days before they were found on 22 August that they would be home by Christmas - a time-frame mining experts called far too conservative - and then put hundreds of rescuers to work on three simultaneous drilling operations to reach them more quickly.

The engineer in charge of the rescue effort, Andre Sougarret, said yesterday that "it's still premature to talk about shorter time-frames. We're sticking with the first days of November as the final date of the rescue."

However, the rescue team's own numbers suggest faster progress.

The biggest drill, labelled "Plan C," is capable of much faster speed, and the deeper it gets, the faster engineers plan to drill.

Barring unforeseen complications, it could break through to the miners at a point nearly 2,000ft underground in the second week of October.

Mr Sougarret has previously said it would then take eight days to insert an iron sleeve in the 28-inch-wide chute to prevent rock falls while miners are being pulled out.

In another indication of the rescue effort's progress, Mr Sougarret said the rescue capsule - named Phoenix - has to be ready within 10 to 12 days after they decide on a final design this week.

With that in mind, engineers are now viewing prototypes of the capsules at ASMAR, the Chilean navy's shipbuilding operation in Talcahuano.

The specifications are elaborate: The capsules must come equipped with tanks to provide three hours of oxygen, wheels mounted on shock absorbers to maintain contact with the pipe's walls, an internal harness to prevent injury to the miners, and a wireless communication system so the men can remain in touch with people inside and outside the mine during the 15- to 20-minute journey to the surface.

It must also be able to accommodate the largest miner, who has shoulders measuring 19 inches across.

"That's the critical dimension for the cage's design," Mr Sougarret said in a briefing at the San Jose mine.

ASMAR plans a cylinder with walls of steel 0.16ins thick, with an escape hatch and interior harness system designed to enable the occupant to lower himself back down into the mine should the capsule get stuck.

"Everything is advancing OK, the technical team ... is already at ASMAR evaluating the rescue capsule design.

"It has been baptised Phoenix.This week we will decide its final characteristics," Chile's mining minister, Laurence Golborne, said.